Roots
by JolinarJackson
Summary: While Ianto hides Lisa in the basement and starts a sexual relationship with Jack, the team has to face mythical troublemakers, UNIT and a strange series of comas. Meanwhile, Suzie feels drawn to a gauntlet with the ability to revive the dead.
1. Chapter 1

**Roots**

_Series: _Mosaic (no need to know the other parts)

_Word Count: ~ _43.000

_Summary:_ While Ianto hides Lisa in the basement and starts a sexual relationship with Jack, the team has to face mythical troublemakers, UNIT officials and a strange series of comas in Bute Park. In the meantime, Suzie feels drawn to a gauntlet with the ability to revive the dead.

_Characters:_ Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Suzie Costello, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper, Lisa Hallett, Archie, Myfanwy, Yvonne (mentioned in the novel _Almost Perfect_), Gwen Cooper, OCs

_Pairing:_ Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Lisa, Owen/Suzie

_Rating:_ NC-17

_Spoiler:_ _Everything Changes, Cyberwoman, Fragments_, characters from _Children Of Earth_ / References to the novels _Another Life_ and _SkyPoint_ / References to the comic _Shroud_ / Doctor Who: _Doomsday_

_Setting:_ after Doctor Who: _Doomsday_, before series one of Torchwood up until the episode _Everything Changes_

_Warnings:_ Scenes that could be seen as **dub-con**, sex, partner betrayal, language

_Author's Note:_ This was written for the tw_bigbang and is a prequel to my Mosaic 'verse. Though references are made, there's no need to know the other parts I've written. Puks are fairy-like, mythological creatures from Germany. I took some liberties with them.

_Beta: _danian did the english version and Inja did the German one. Thanks for your fast work, guys!

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Torchwood _and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

Other parts of this series (no need to know them):

The Enemy Within

This Crying Earth

The Golden Boy

xxx

**Chapter 1 – Hideaway**

**Prologue**

SkyPoint was a prestige project, designed to draw people with money to Cardiff. It was supposed to be the first one in a whole pipeline of projects cut out for those who could afford luxury.

But then – a few months ago – the investor had lost interest, and now the architect and the city council were looking for someone who was determined to see the project through to the end. Until then, the half-finished skeleton marked the city, laughed at by those who couldn't afford to live there, and gazed at with longing by those who still dreamed of buying a flat in it. It was deserted, not even a security guard protecting it, just a high wire-netting fence and a few signposts.

Ianto Jones didn't pay those any mind while he cut through the fence and hurried through the gaping front door into the unfinished building. The straps of his backpack cut into his shoulders, weighed down by his heavy burden, but he just gritted his teeth and took the stairs up, guided by his torch.

The floors were already divided-off by walls. Some flats were closer to being finished than others. Ianto's torch found electric cables hanging from the ceiling and pipes waiting to pump water through the building one day. The elevator wasn't installed yet, the shaft just a deep gaping channel from the top of the building down to the basement. The flats he passed by were big lofts with huge window fronts, allowing a breathtaking view of the city and the bay where they weren't taped off with plastic sheets, getting better the higher up he went. Some metal columns were lying around in the endless corridors. Abandoned tools and fire extinguishers were everywhere as if the workmen had only left for a short break.

The building was haunting, unreal, because it was so very quiet and the scuffing noise of Ianto's trainers on the floor and the distant city twelve floors below him the only thing to be heard.

Ianto looked for the perfect place for about an hour and finally found a part of the building on floor fourteen where the workers had already installed windows and doors – maybe to show the flat to interested buyers who didn't mind seeing it in its raw state.

Quickly, Ianto pulled a lead box from his backpack and put it in the middle of the spacious living room, then he set the time-lock on it to open in eight hours. He'd scratched away the Torchwood One label, more out of nerves than anything else. As soon as the team from Torchwood Three – _his team_, he reminded himself, Torchwood One was gone, burned to the ground, and Torchwood Three was now his working place – found the isolation unit, they would know where it came from. The design was unmistakable. Torchwood One had created this type of isolation unit after scavenging several technologies from various alien races. Its lead walls could hold in radiation and all kinds of radio signals, its alloy was resistant against gasses and the lock was unbreakable. Ianto had found this box in one of the many storage units Torchwood had hidden in plain sight all over the country. He'd managed to get to one of them before UNIT had come barging in, claiming everything Torchwood One related for themselves. He'd stolen the box just for this purpose; its contents would suffice as a distraction for the team. Ianto needed the Torchwood Three Hub to himself for a few hours without raising suspicion.

He checked that the windows were all sealed tight and closed all doors that led into any of the yet windowless rooms. After all, he didn't want them to get out and terrorize the city. Puks were mean little creatures, overall not very dangerous, just extremely bothersome.

Satisfied, he left the building the way he'd entered it and vanished into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**1.**

Not even the rising sun could make the abandoned warehouse at the edge of Cardiff beautiful in any way. It was run-down, all chipped paint and holes in the plaster. The former parking lot was empty, letting nature take back its reign slowly, the inside was a mess of old tools, tables and other things that got left behind. A non-descript, black van didn't quite fit into the building. It was standing near the small office where once a supervisor had kept an eye on the employees, and it wasn't old, just caked with dust and mud from small streets and dirt roads – a fugitive's car. Inside the office, the desk had been shoved against the wall. Two camp beds had taken its place, shoved together tightly. A week's worth of suits hung on the window sill and a small lamp's light was slowly being overpowered by the sun rays coming through the cracked and dirty windows.

Ianto fixed his tie, checking his appearance in the tiny mirror hanging on the wall and then turned around to Lisa, who was lying on one of the camp beds, watching him get dressed with a fond smile. They'd done this a lot, back in London, when Torchwood One had still been there and Lisa hadn't been this scarred by its downfall. Lisa had always watched Ianto dress in the mornings before hurrying to get ready herself while Ianto made breakfast. For a second, Ianto indulged in the fantasy of being back in their flat, of going to work together, of sharing lunch breaks and gossiping about colleagues, but the image shattered when he saw the IV with the pain medication Lisa needed constantly. Even though she was covered with a blanket, he could see the metal encasing parts of her legs and chest. The image was burned into his mind. She could barely turn her head because of the helmet that had been fused to her skull. To UNIT, she was a machine, worthy of nothing more than a bullet to her head. To Ianto, she was everything and that was why he kept her hidden.

He uttered a sad sigh. They weren't Ianto and Lisa in London anymore, working for Torchwood and thinking about marriage. They were Ianto and Lisa in Cardiff, fugitives, and while Lisa was fighting the effects of a half-conversion into a cyberwoman, Ianto would work at Torchwood Three and find a way to make her human again.

He smiled to cover up his sadness and spread his arms. "Well?" he asked.

She made an effort to nod. "As gorgeous as ever." Her face twisted in pain and she gasped.

Ianto hurried to her side, fiddling with the setting of her pain medication. "It'll be over soon," he promised. "I'll get you into Torchwood today. Then we can look for help."

Tears gathered in her dark eyes. "I can't help but feel guilty. I'm such a mess."

Ianto took her hand. "Don't. I love you." He kissed her tenderly and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"What if they find out about me?"

"They won't. I'll make sure of that," Ianto answered, trying to quench the small spark of doubt her words evoked. "I already set up a distraction to lure them out of the building today. We should have about four hours to get you into Torchwood and to set up the conversion unit." He glanced at the van, wherein the bulky unit was already stashed. He'd stolen the vehicle from the Torchwood One car park in London to be able to transport Lisa and the device that had done this to her.

Lisa squeezed his hand gently. "But hurry. I don't think I can do this any longer."

"It's going to be okay, Lisa. I promise."

"I'll feel better as soon as I'm in the conversion unit."

Ianto bit his lip. "I just wish it wasn't necessary."

"Me, too," Lisa answered, "but this body … these … parts ..." In disgust, she looked at the metal. "... they need the unit. Soon."

It had only been three days since they'd left the battlefield in London behind and Ianto had spent those three days tending to Lisa and trying to get a job at Torchwood Three. He'd never had to work so hard for a job before. He'd always applied for the jobs he'd had before Torchwood and either got them after the interview or not. He hadn't applied for Torchwood One, they had just turned up on his doorstep and asked him to join. The Torchwood Three leader Jack Harkness on the other hand, had been a piece of work; determined not to let anyone from the outside into his team, even more so when they came from Torchwood London like Ianto. It had been common knowledge in Torchwood One that the Cardiff branch had cut all ties with London a while ago, so he'd expected some resistance, but he'd also kind of hoped that the disastrous war that had befallen and destroyed Torchwood London would earn him some sympathy points with Captain Harkness. To the contrary … Harkness had treated Ianto like he was one of the Cybermen or Daleks that had attacked Torchwood One, confirming Ianto's belief that it would be a bad idea to tell him about Lisa. As a half-converted cyberbeing, he would certainly kill her on sight. So Ianto had to do this in secret. Get her in, set up the unit to stabilize her and then get someone to help him free her from the cyberparts fitted to her body, and all that while avoiding her being found and playing the team's perfect new member.

Ianto checked his watch. "We have to go." He helped Lisa up, trying to ignore her sobs of pain and exhaustion while he helped her into the back of the van and then strapped her into the conversion unit. After setting up her pain medication and making sure that she was settled, he packed up the few things he had here and left the warehouse, driving towards the bay where Torchwood Three had its secret base.

He parked the van in the car park that, as his observations over the last few days had shown, was used by some companies residing in the nearby buildings as well as Torchwood. Next to the black Torchwood SUV, he saw the unobtrusive, handle-less door that had to lead into the underground base. He didn't dare get closer to it since he assumed that there was a camera monitoring the secret entrance.

With the promise to be back in a few hours, he hurried up to Roald Dahl Plass and from there to the tourist office Torchwood used as a cover to wait for his new boss.

xxx

"_Jack Harkness only hires the pretty ones."_

Jack had once heard a couple of secretaries at Torchwood London talking that way about him just before he'd had the huge fight with Torchwood One leader Yvonne Hartmann that had led to him severing all ties with the London institute.

While Jack certainly saw himself as someone who appreciated beautiful eyes, a cute smile, long legs or a tight arse, he wouldn't hire anyone just because they had those attributes.

His second in command Suzie had the face of a goddess but she was also a fierce fighter and highly intelligent. Toshiko had beautiful legs and a stunning smile but she also was a wunderkind when it came to technology and she could hack Jack into any governmental file he wanted to read. And Owen ... well, aside from the fact that he was a brilliant doctor, he also had really beautiful eyes. Not that Jack would tell Owen that. He would get smacked ... or shot.

So Jack really didn't make a habit of hiring people just for their looks, and no matter how blue Ianto Jones's eyes were and how utterly adorable his smile, not to mention his arse and the long lean legs, Jack had had his reasons for letting him into the team. He was intelligent and determined and he'd handled himself well when they'd caught that pterodactyl last night. He also made coffee to die for and such heavenly caffeine was always needed when one was an alien hunter.

When Jack left the tourist office, Ianto was already there, standing on the wooden walkway and staring out at the bay, wind ruffling his short, dark hair. When he heard the door close, though, Ianto turned to look at him.

Jack winked. "Ianto Jones, in a suit. A sight to die for." Just because he didn't hire people for their prettiness didn't mean that he wouldn't flirt with them. He held open the door. "Come on in. Welcome to Torchwood Three."


	3. Chapter 3

**2.**

Jack gave Ianto a quick tour through the endless corridors of the Hub housing the cells, morgue, archives, generator room and – of course – the main Hub. Torchwood Three was different from Torchwood One in so many ways that Ianto couldn't begin to count them. Of course, far less people worked here – only a team of four where it had been 800 in London. The Hub itself was the most distinct difference, though. While Torchwood One had towered proudly – but secretly of course – in Canary Wharf in London, Torchwood Three was an underground base which had been witness to over a century of changes. The walls of the cavernous main Hub were a collage of different styles of architecture, ranging from the late 19th century to the early 21st. The Hub had, as far as Ianto knew, started out much bigger, but a cave-in had destroyed part of it. Now, the main Hub was the only big room, stretching from deep underground up towards Roald Dahl Plass and housing three floors.

The water tower that belonged to one of the tourist attractions up on Roald Dahl Plass started on the ground level here in a water basin. Within it were the Rift manipulator and Rift detector that told the team whenever some flotsam and jetsam came through the rip in time and space above Cardiff, Jack explained, adding with a wink that the tower's phallic shape had been his idea.

The first thing Ianto did was clean the kitchen niche tucked away in a corner of the main Hub, just beneath the boardroom on the first level, which had suffered serious neglect. Under a sheet, he found a coffee maker.

"Nobody here knows how to use it," Jack explained when Ianto asked him about it. "The team leader back in the 90s used to make coffee with it, though."

Ianto got it to work again, earning himself an appreciative smile from Jack.

Then he looked after the pterodactyl he'd caught with Jack the evening before. He'd found it by accident while buying supplies from the run-down supermarket near the warehouse he'd lived in with Lisa. It had been trapped in a warehouse a few blocks away from Ianto. He presumed that it had come through the Rift from the past. Later on, he realized that he'd been lucky that it was only a pterodactyl. He'd investigated the sharp cries he'd heard from the warehouse without a gun or any way to defend himself. It could have been an alien species that could have come through the Rift and killed him on sight.

It was kind of ironic, though, that after all he had done to impress Jack, hunting a pterodactyl got him the job. Or maybe the fact that they had almost kissed. Ianto pushed that memory away quickly and focused on the animal instead. On closer inspection, he was pretty sure that it was a pteranodon and not a pterodactyl. He'd been into dinosaurs when he was a kid and thanks to his photographic memory, he still remembered every single one of them. It was beautiful and Jack had done a good job of preparing a nest high above the ground of the main Hub.

"We have to give it a name," Jack said while they watched it eat meat from a bucket. "Any suggestions?"

Ianto was surprised to be asked, but he recovered quickly. "Myfanwy."

"That's Welsh," Jack said.

"Yes," Ianto answered. It was Lisa's favourite Welsh song.

While Ianto prepared more coffee and arranged the only edible biscuits he'd found on a plate, Suzie Costello and Toshiko Sato arrived. His first impression of Toshiko was good. She seemed to be nice, if a bit shy. While she talked to him, she kept running her hands through her dark hair nervously. Her dark eyes gave away that she really seemed happy to meet him. Suzie on the other hand was clearly used to being listened to, but polite. She seemed a bit distant, though, a trait that was accentuated by her cold beauty. She'd tied her black hair back, maybe to avoid the locks falling into her eyes. Her green eyes seemed to assess Ianto like a potential risk. Jack had mentioned that she was his second in command and Ianto could understand why he'd chosen her. After a short chat, Suzie and Toshiko joined Jack on the first level of the main Hub in the glass-walled boardroom. Then, the last team member arrived.

Owen Harper strolled through the big entrance door, a miserable expression on his grim face, the already thin lips pressed together so tight they were white. Hangover, Ianto guessed. And since his dark hair was plastered to his head, Ianto guessed that he must have been caught by the rain, something that certainly hadn't improved his obviously foul mood. Owen stopped on his way to his desk and looked at Ianto.

Ianto tried a polite smile. "Good morning," he said.

Owen snorted. "Great!" He dropped his bag next to his desk. "Nice suit," he sneered while taking off his leather jacket.

Ianto narrowed his eyes. "Policy says to wear one." Even though no one here did. Toshiko and Suzie were wearing normal clothes and Jack was still wearing braces, a shirt and trousers like he had during the pterodactyl hunt the evening before. He seemed to prefer this kind of clothes, since Ianto hadn't seen him wear anything else the few times they'd met. Aside from the blue, vintage military coat that Jack had taken off as soon as they'd entered the Hub this morning.

"Maybe around posh Torchwood One, but not here."

Ianto raised one eyebrow. "As is plain to see." He let his eyes roam over Owen's blue sweater and the jeans before pursing his lips at the sight of the worn trainers.

Owen's eyes narrowed. "Is there something you want to tell me, suit boy?"

It was mutual dislike from the first second.

Ianto decided to be the adult one. "Not at all. Would you like a coffee?"

"Think you're better than us, right? You Torchwod One people. No wonder your neat little club went boom ..."

"Owen!" That was Jack's snapped warning from above. "Get your scrawny ass up here. You're late for work … again! And let Ianto be."

There was a moment of silence, then Owen growled, "Coffee would be heavenly." He stalked towards the winding stairs leading up to the boardroom and the greenhouse. When he passed by Ianto, he hissed, "I just hope that suit's not going to get ruined when you get down on your knees in Jack's office." With that, he hurried upstairs, leaving Ianto to hide that he was blushing furiously. He'd flirted with Jack to get this job, they'd even almost kissed, even though that had been kind of an accident in the heat of the hunt, but he'd hoped that he could now put the interest Jack had shown in him slowly to sleep by reducing the flirting. Sure, Jack with his handsome face and those blue eyes was a very attractive man, but the thought of actually doing something … it wasn't disgust Ianto felt – he'd thought about other men that way before he and Lisa had become a couple, but it had only been natural curiosity, right? And even it hadn't been … he was with Lisa now and he wouldn't cheat on her.

Ianto put Owen's coffee on the tray and checked his watch. In a few hours, the team would be out to deal with his little surprise in SkyPoint. He reminded himself that this was only a temporary solution until Lisa was 100% human again. He'd leave Torchwood Three behind like a thief, but he didn't care. He didn't like them much anyway.

xxx

Tosh looked to the door when Ianto entered. He looked relaxed and in his element, no trace of nervousness on his face. In fact, he looked pretty much impassive. She liked him well enough. He seemed to be nice. Maybe he could become a bit of a friend to her. The others on the team were alright, but sometimes, Tosh felt a bit drowned out by them, as if they didn't even know she was there unless she had something to say.

Jack cleared his throat. "I'd say we look into it," he concluded and Tosh startled. She hadn't listened the last five minutes, preoccupied by running her translation program on her laptop. She threw him a glance and, to her relief, realized that he was looking at Suzie expectantly.

"I'm with you," she said. "That glove really is a mystery. I'd like to volunteer for that project."

"Tosh?" Jack asked.

Ianto set down a mug beside his hand and Jack took it without even looking at him. Suzie did the same.

"No interest," Tosh said. "Suzie can have it." They'd fished the glove out of the bay a few days ago. It looked a bit like a medieval glove of a knight but it emitted a strange energy signal. After some tests, they had found out that it was made from the same metal as a knife in their archives. Suzie had been hell-bent on working on both objects ever since. Tosh wasn't that bothered. She had other projects to keep her occupied.

"Thanks," Suzie said with a grin.

Jack clapped his hands. "Alright. It looks to be a quiet day today, so catch up on your paperwork and hand it in for Ianto to file."

Ianto nodded, managing to look very dignified with an empty tray in his hands.

Owen glared at Jack. "That's what you hired him for? Filing? We don't need a secretary."

Ianto answered, "The state of the archives suggests otherwise."

Jack nodded in approval and gave Owen a warning look. "I hired him as a General Support Officer."

Owen snorted. "You just made that up. What's that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't make it up. General Support Officers take care of everything that needs doing."

"Like our boss?" Owen asked.

Tosh glanced at Ianto who didn't look much different. A faint blush colored his cheeks, though, and his eyes slid to the floor. She felt sorry for him. Owen could be a little harsh at times and he'd been against hiring Ianto from day one. When Jack had told them yesterday evening that he'd given in, Owen had been irritated. Sometimes, Tosh wondered where he got his cynicism from. He could be such a nice and funny guy if he wanted to be … most of the time, he didn't want to be and he loved provoking Jack.

Jack chuckled, but didn't answer.

"I see," Owen said.

Suzie sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I don't care as long as I get coffee like that everyday."

Ianto inclined his head for a small nod. Tosh had to agree. The coffee was the best she'd had in a long time … maybe ever.

Ianto looked at Owen. "My tasks include filing, the archives, the SUV, your field kits, meals and snacks, feeding the residents including Myfanwy, manning the tourist office, taking Captain Harkness's calls in case of his absence, cleaning, maintenance, liaising with the police, clean-up on site and I'm a general personal assistant to the captain."

"I bet you are," Owen answered.

Jack got up. "That's enough now. Get to work, everybody."

xxx

The room wasn't big, but big enough for the conversion unit and then some. It had a thick wooden door with a padlock and thanks to Jack providing him with his keyring, Ianto had the key for it. The lights were only dim in here, but that didn't bother Ianto. The conversion unit would give off some light of its own. The damp walls and slightly moldy smell was nothing new to him after the last few nights in the warehouse.

This room was perfect. Far away from the main Hub and close to the generator. He could easily divert some of the energy down here into the conversion unit. He just had to take care not to take too much at once.

Ianto turned in a circle, planning where he would set up the conversion unit, his camp bed and maybe a chair with a lamp, then he left the room and locked it. The padlock was old and a bit rusted, like almost all of the keys. Ianto assumed that Jack had forgotten what rooms most of the keys were for.

"_Ianto,"_ Jack's voice said.

Ianto startled before he remembered that he was wearing a headset in case he had to be reached quickly. "Sir?"

"_Would you come up here and serve some more of that coffee?"_

"Certainly, captain." One of his hands flattened against the weathered wood of the door and he deactivated the comm link. Just a door would separate Lisa from being discovered and killed and Ianto assumed that he would be killed with her. "A dangerous game," he muttered. "Very dangerous."

But there simply wasn't any other way.


	4. Chapter 4

**3.**

Lunch in the boardroom was a quiet affair with Suzie and Owen trying to find out whether Jack and Ianto already had sex, Jack studiously smiling at them without giving an answer, Tosh ignoring everyone to work on her laptop and Ianto wondering why the time lock hadn't opened yet. He was getting nervous and wondered if he should find an excuse to get out and look in on Lisa. He pondered what kind of activity would get him away from the Hub long enough and sound believable while clearing the table and listening to Owen, Suzie and Jack bicker on their way down into the main Hub.

"Don't worry about them," Tosh said and Ianto turned to her, a bit startled. He'd almost forgotten that she was still there. "They're just like that," she continued.

Ianto didn't quite know what to answer.

Tosh smiled at him encouragingly. "I don't think Jack hired you because of your looks."

"Not?" he asked.

"Not exclusively," she answered with a small grin.

He smiled back. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad there's someone here who's just like me." That puzzled him and she shrugged and blushed. "Not so …," she sighed, "... I guess loud would be the right word."

"They are, aren't they?" Ianto asked.

"I sometimes feel like I'm too quiet for them to notice me."

"I know the feeling."

"Don't get me wrong," Tosh said and got up. She hugged her laptop to her chest. "They're great. Suzie's nice, really. Owen's difficult, but not that bad if you get to know him. They'll leave you alone after a while. Or Jack will make them." She shrugged.

"Alright," Ianto answered. "Thank you."

She smiled and left. Ianto sat down on one of the chairs and took a few deep breaths. He was not supposed to become their friend, it would only make everything worse.

xxx

Jack's office was rather large, but he only used a small part of it. On his desk was a mess of paperwork, various knick-knacks and, strangely enough, a piece of coral. Ianto didn't know if it was an extraterrestrial coral, but he wouldn't exclude that possibility. Jack's computer wasn't standing on his desk, but on a small table fitted into a corner, as if he didn't quite know what to do with it. The lights were down low, making the room almost cosy. Jack was sitting in his chair … cradling a cat. Ianto stopped and blinked.

Jack said, "This is Yvonne." She was a ratty, ugly little thing with grey fur and dark green eyes that stared at Ianto with utter contempt. "She's a mean little girl so better don't go near her when she's in one of her moods." Jack petted the cat's head. She hissed at him, scratched his arm and ran out of the room. "Told ya," Jack sighed and nursed his wound by sucking on it.

Ianto pulled a face. "I wasn't aware that Torchwood had a cat," he said.

"I found her outside, half-dead, a few years ago. Since then, we have a love-hate-relationship. The name was perfect."

"I assume you christened her Yvonne because of ..."

Jack grinned. "Yes."

"I'm sure Miss Hartmann would have appreciated the sentiment," Ianto answered.

"Yvonne hunts the rats in this place."

"You let in a stray cat, but you almost wouldn't let me in?" Ianto asked.

"Don't worry," Jack said with a grin. "I like you more."

Ianto sighed. "Well, if you like me that much, sir, would you give me an hour off?"

Jack got up and shoved his hands in his pockets. He strolled around the desk, looking at Ianto from under his eyelashes. "On your first day?"

Ianto folded his hands on his back. "Indeed, sir."

Jack stopped just a little too close for comfort. Ianto managed not to flinch away. Jack grinned. "What do I get if I let you go?"

Ianto swallowed nervously. He took a breath to answer, but was saved by the bell in the form of Toshiko barging into the office. "Jack, we've got an unusual energy signature in SkyPoint."

"How unusual?"

Toshiko hesitated for a moment, then she answered, "As in _'I have no idea.'_"

Jack chuckled. "Alright. Get Suzie and Owen."

Ianto saved Jack the trouble of getting his vintage coat by snagging it from the hook and holding it open for the captain.

"My, my, Ianto Jones," Jack said, shrugging into the coat, "you're a perfect butler." He turned to Ianto. "Look for a blueprint of SkyPoint and send it to Tosh's PDA. Stay on the comms." He grinned and spread his arms, walking backwards towards the door. "The Hub is yours." He turned and dashed away, shouting orders.

Ianto sighed. "Indeed it is," he answered.

xxx

SkyPoint was situated a bit back from the city centre in a quiet area of the bay. Nobody was around, which was only good, Suzie thought. In case something went horribly wrong, they always had Retcon on them, but Suzie wasn't fond of the amnesia pill. Tosh's PDA beeped when the SUV screeched to a halt in front of SkyPoint's skeleton.

Suzie tucked her gun into the waistband of her jeans. "Ianto really _is_ useful."

Owen got out of the car and looked up at SkyPoint miserably. Suzie knew that he had a hangover from hell because she was partly responsible for it. They'd drunk a bit too much last night. She hadn't felt quite good herself just this morning, but Ianto's coffee had done the trick.

Owen turned to look at Suzie when she got out of the car. "Tosh could have pulled that information up while we were on our way here." He looked at Jack who was staring up at SkyPoint with an excited smile. "That's why there are computers in the SUV."

"Stop it, Owen," Jack said sharply. "I hired him. Live with it."

"I'll have to," Owen grumbled.

Tosh stopped next to Jack. "The elevators aren't installed, yet. We'll have to take the stairs. The energy signature comes from the fourteenth floor."

"Just our luck," Owen said.

Tosh checked her PDA. "I get life signs from within. Small. Nothing of that sort on the outside, though. Here's hoping they aren't able to leave the building."

Suzie looked at Jack. "We should make sure of that."

"Already on it," he answered and opened the trunk. He got out a slim, silver suitcase. "Let's set it up," he said.

xxx

"Where the hell have you been?" Lisa sobbed when Ianto entered the van and closed the back door. In the weak light of the garage that fell through the wind shield and into the back of the van, Lisa looked like something from another world. Something that didn't belong here, into this van, this garage … Ianto's life.

He shook off that thought. "I'm so sorry," he answered and kissed her apologetically. "I'm sorry, love. The time lock didn't open until a few minutes ago."

"They're gone?"

"Yes. I don't know how long for. Let's hope at least four hours."

"Okay," she said and took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

"I have a room for you. It's near the garage, so the way isn't long. I found a hand truck. They use it for heavy equipment. I should get you out of the van and into the room just fine." He pulled a face. "That way, you won't have to leave the conversion unit, but it could get a bit difficult."

She gave him a sad smile of understanding. "That's alright, Ianto."

He hesitated for a moment. "I don't want to hurt you."

"It's okay."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "It's not." He entwined their fingers. "But there's no other way." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, unconsciously looking for Lisa's scent, but he couldn't find it. All he smelled was the sharp tang of metal. He sniffed, swallowing his disappointment, and straightened. "Alright. I'll drive the van closer to the door. It has a camera. I'll have to erase the footage later."

He turned towards the door, but Lisa called him back, "Ianto." He looked at her. "I love you," she said. "You have to remember that."

Ianto forced a smile, trying to convey comfort. "I know. Love you, too."

xxx

The lobby was a deserted big room. Jack could imagine how it would look if it ever got finished: marble on the walls, some paintings, a receptionist guarding the elevator and stairs, sending away unwanted visitors … he caught himself considering buying a flat in this place. He had the money, that was for sure. He'd worked long enough for Torchwood and the pay check wasn't that bad. It was, after all, what lured him into this job in the first place, back then in the 19th century when he'd still been a freelance agent. Sometimes Jack wondered if his immortality would ever wear off. Lately, he'd thought about it a bit more frequently and whenever that happened, the wish to find a place for himself grew stronger. Living in the Torchwood Hub was alright – someone had to keep an eye on the detector in the night – but a home would be nice too. A place to come to when things got rough. Some place that belonged just to him. He'd had a number of houses and flats over the decades he'd already lived in Cardiff, sometimes living alone, sometimes sharing them.

SkyPoint would be a good place, close to the Hub, and he could buy a flat as high up as possible. Jack loved heights. Maybe, just … maybe, he could go out and look for someone again. Pretend to be normal at least for a little while. But then again, he was practically on his way to leaving Earth behind. One day soon, he would find the Doctor and go with him in his spaceship – how he missed the TARDIS! – and they would have a life full of adventures and fun, because that was what the Doctor did – he gave you adventures and fun.

"Oi!" Owen said, startling Jack from his thoughts. "Are we getting started or what?"

Jack set the suitcase down in the middle of the lobby. "Alright. If you need something from the SUV, get it now," he said.

Everyone seemed to think about that for a second, then they all shook their heads.

"Good," Jack said opened the suitcase. Nestled in a bed of foam lay a disk about the size of a gramophone record. It was dark green and its surface was punctured by little holes. Next to it lay a small rectangular remote control with a bright yellow button in the middle. Jack pushed it and the disk began to pulsate, then a bolt of green light shot upwards and through the ceiling. Only a few seconds later, a sheet of green light formed around the building. It shimmered for a few seconds, then it became invisible.

"Alright," Jack said, "force field activated. Nothing leaves or enters this building." He pocketed the remote control before he activated his comm link. "Ianto, we're inside and just about to start searching the building."

It took a moment, then Ianto answered, a bit breathlessly, _"Good to hear you're making progress, sir."_

"What's got you all hot and bothered?"

Owen rolled his eyes.

"_Oh ... dusting, sir."_

"Dusting?"

"_It can be very exhausting."_

Jack chuckled, taking a moment to imagine Ianto dust his office, stretching up to reach a shelf, the trousers tight around ... he shook his head. Time to focus on the job at hand. "Alright. Have fun." He severed the link.

Owen readied his gun. "Are we finally ready to go now?" he asked.

"We are," Jack answered with a grin. "Tosh?"

"Most of the life signs come from the fourteenth floor, but a few have moved down to the tenth."

Jack nodded. "Owen, Suzie, you take the fourteenth floor. Tosh, you're with me."

xxx

By the time Ianto finally managed to get Lisa into the room, she was crying again.

"I'm sorry," Ianto whispered. He leaned against the conversion unit, utterly exhausted, his head on Lisa's shoulder. The hand truck had been a bit too old and it had probably not been used in years. It had broken down about half-way to Lisa's room and Ianto had pulled it the rest of the way by sheer force of will. The journey had been everything but smooth and Lisa was now in excruciating pain. Ianto felt guilty. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't just stand there," Lisa snapped, still with tears in her voice. "Get the device hooked up!" Ianto stared at her, a bit taken aback by her tone. She ducked her head and sniffed. "Sorry. It's just ..." She looked at him again. "You have to hurry. I can't hold on much longer."

He nodded and wiped his face with his hands. "Of course."

"I'll tell you what to do."

"How do you know?" Ianto asked.

Lisa was quiet for a long moment and she seemed almost embarrassed, but then she gave a small smile. "Oh, I don't quite know. It's like … there was information downloaded into my brain during the conversion." Ianto didn't like that one bit but Lisa hastened to assure him, "Don't worry. That's a good thing right now. You can use the information to help me."

Ianto nodded hesitantly. "I guess." Then he smiled. "Of course. I also searched the database. Toshiko – she's the technician – she has written a report about conversion units. Apparently she helped UNIT analyse one of them after the battle."

"Good," Lisa said, "we can use that when we need it."

xxx

While Toshiko's report was printed, Ianto raided Owen's stash of painkillers. He gathered IV bags, syringes and medicines as well as antibiotics, and carefully jotted down what he took to replenish Owen's stash when he ordered supplies at the end of the week. He would also order in more of everything and use the extra for Lisa.

He hurried back to the printer and gathered up the report. When he turned to go back downstairs, he froze upon seeing a pair of green eyes staring at him accusingly. Yvonne was crouching curled up on the couch that provided a rest area behind Tosh and Owen's desks in the main Hub, her sharp features turning her feline face into a mean, all-knowing expression. Ianto stared at her. Yvonne held his eyes for a minute, then she sat up and licked her paw. Ianto felt stupid all of a sudden. Yvonne wouldn't know what he was doing and even if, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone. He sighed. His nerves were on edge. He had to get a grip or this would end in disaster.


	5. Chapter 5

**4.**

Owen and Suzie rushed into yet another flat with their weapons raised. They used their flashlights to look into darker corners, but the sun streaming through the windows illuminated most of the rooms. Suzie went to check out the rest of the living room, while Owen pushed open the door to the bathroom next to the entrance door. He breathed a sigh of relief when it came up empty. "I'm clear!" he said loudly.

Suzie cursed. "I'm not!"

He hurried around the corner into the loft-like living room and kitchen area and stopped next to her. She nodded towards the windows. Owen followed her eyes. There, on the window sill, a small, black being sat. Aside from the filigree, dark-green wings, it resembled a human fetus. It had the nerve to laugh at them with a high-pitched voice, showing off pointy, sharp teeth.

Owen sighed. "Oh, bloody hell!"

xxx

"_Jack,"_ Owen's voice came over the comm link.

Jack pulled Tosh along, both of them slowly walking backwards along the dimly-lit corridor with their weapons raised. They kept the small beings flying slowly towards them at a distance, carefully edging towards the stairs.

Jack sighed deeply. He assumed that he already knew what Owen was going to tell him. "Not a good time, Owen," he answered.

"_We've got Puks."_

"Yeah," Jack said, raising one eyebrow and keeping his eyes firmly on the dozen or so flying beings approaching him and Tosh with big grins on their tiny faces. "I kinda figured that."

The Puks laughed. The team had encountered them before. Jack had seen them more than once in his long, long life. The first time had been on Venus 3 during his time as a time agent. Puks were more of a nuisance than a real danger, but their bite was poisonous and they just loved to mess with everyone they encountered.

There really was only one way to fight them: trapping them and locking them away in their cells. They weren't like the Weevils that roamed Cardiff's sewers, who only killed animals and unfortunately humans too, to eat or to defend themselves. Puks were just mean.

"Don't kill them if you can avoid it," Jack said, because the Puks thought everything was fun – except when one of them was killed. Then they got really nasty. "Priority is to catch them unharmed. Trap them however you can."

"_Alright," _Owen answered.

Jack turned to Tosh. "I really hate Puks."

The Puks laughed.

Tosh nodded and asked, "What are we going to do?"

Jack sighed. "Let me think for a minute."

They stopped walking backwards. The Puks kept a careful distance, conferring in their native language and with little giggles. Jack had a very bad feeling about this. He looked around, seeing fire extinguishers lying about and some metal rods. Behind them were the stairs – no door there. To their right … Jack opened the door to their right and smiled. It was a tiny, empty room. "A broom closet," he said. "No windows. I think this would be a good place to trap them."

"I agree," Tosh answered, looking into the closet as well, "but how do we get them in there?"

Jack looked at her with a grin. "We have to trick them."

They stared at each other as if they would be able to read an idea in the other's eyes.

Tosh shook her head. "I've got nothing."

"Me neither. They're not stupid."

They turned back to the Puks who by now ...

Jack said, "Oh, shit!"

The few seconds he and Tosh hadn't been looking at them had been enough for the Puks to develop their very own little plan. Several of them were holding a fire extinguisher between them, giggling manically.

Jack pointed his Webley at the Puks and put on his most determined face. "Don't you dare!"

One of the Puks made a serious face and said something in their language, using the same intonation Jack had.

Jack raised one eyebrow. "Are you making fun of me?"

The Puks giggled, and then three of them pushed on the handle and Jack's hope that the extinguisher was broken was in vain. He heard Tosh give a squeak and then she was suddenly ducking behind him, using him as a shield against the white foam, her hands pressed against his back to keep him in front of her. The Puks laughed hysterically.

Tosh pulled Jack with her into the closet and slammed the door shut, then she switched on her torch and looked at him. "Oh, god!" she said while Jack wiped the foam out of his face. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I ..." She shrugged. "... did that."

"Self-preservation," Jack answered. "I don't mind." He looked down at his coat, covered in white foam. "Oh damn, I _love_ this coat." He'd served in World War II and this dark-blue coat had been part of the uniform. It was warm and after all those years of wearing it, it literally hugged his shoulders and chest. He sighed in regret. Maybe his dry-cleaner would be able to save the coat. He pushed a hand through his hair and grimaced upon finding it clumped with foam. "Well, I was having a bad hair day either way." Something slammed against the door. Then several somethings. Jack frowned, worried. "What are they doing?"

Then there was silence.

Jack tried to open the door, but something was blocking it. "Oh, no," he sighed. "You've got to be kidding me!" He rattled at the door. "They trapped us!"

xxx

Ianto was just setting up the IV with painkillers for Lisa, when Jack's voice came through the comm link. _"Ianto, I need everything we've got on Puks."_

He made him wait for a few seconds and then answered, "Right away, sir." He turned to Lisa. "Is this okay?"

She nodded. He smiled at her and then went to work on connecting her conversion unit to the cables he wanted to use to feed it energy from the generator.

Lisa said, "The generator's several rooms away. How are you going to hide those?"

"There are a lot of cables running through the corridors down here and some pipes, too. I'll find a way. Besides, I don't think anybody comes down here. None of the rooms on this level are in use at the moment. The only thing that's of any interest is the entrance to the garage and I think they always rush through it."

His comm link crackled and Jack snapped, _"Ianto?"_

Ianto rolled his eyes. "The archives are quite a mess, sir. I'm doing the best I can." Of course, he'd prepared himself already. He knew everything there was to know about Puks, but Jack didn't have to be aware of that. Ianto looked at Lisa. "You said you knew the amount of energy that thing will need?"

"It's not much. Well, at least as long as no conversion's going on."

Ianto pulled a face. "Good thing we won't need that." He could still remember the screams of those who had been cut open and turned into a machine during the battle. Most of all, he remembered Lisa's screams … and then the sudden turn in events. The Doctor had saved them all, but he'd been too late to save Lisa. That was Ianto's job now.

Lisa nodded slowly. "Yeah, a good thing indeed."

Ianto pulled his mobile from his pocket and took a picture of how he'd fastened the cables to the unit. He handed her the phone. "Have a look. I used Toshiko's report on how the Cybermen must have connected the units to Torchwood One's generators. Will that work?"

She seemed awed. "It's perfect, Ianto."

"I wonder why it needs electricity at all," he said and returned to kneel on the floor to check on the cables one last time before he would run them to the generator. "I mean, that's not very practical, right? Planning an invasion and having to look for an electrical socket first." He chuckled and grinned up at Lisa. She laughed, but it sounded forced. Worried, Ianto straightened and took her hand. "What is it?"

"Pain."

He kissed her forehead. "It'll get better. I'll go and run the cables now." He sighed and added, "But first things first." He opened the channel to Jack.

xxx

"_Sir?"_ Ianto asked.

"Finally," Jack answered and stopped trying to force open the door. Tosh was studying her PDA as if that would help them find a way out. It hadn't in the last ten minutes, so Jack really wondered if it ever would.

"_What exactly are you looking for?"_ Ianto asked.

"How we'll be able to catch them."

"_Your file on them is rather extensive, but it says that they hate bright lights."_

Tosh looked up at that. "We could lure them into a dark room."

Jack raised one eyebrow. "And where exactly will we get bright lights from? This building doesn't have electricity, yet."

Owen surprised him with an answer, _"But it's a building site and sometimes they work until late at night or early in the morning. I'm sure we can find some floodlights somewhere."_

Ianto said, _"There's a container with supplies for the workers near the entrance." _He paused for a moment and then hastily added, _"That's what the satellite images say."_

Jack answered, "Yeah, but we're cut off from the outside."

Suzie suggested, _"Owen and I could have a look at the basement. There might be some floodlights. They're constantly needed down there. Maybe someone was too lazy or forgot to clear them away when the site shut down."_

"Good idea," Jack answered. "You do that. In the meantime, does any of you happen to know how I could come out of a closet?" Tosh giggled and Jack rolled his eyes. "No pun intended."

xxx

Carefully, Owen and Suzie descended the stairs down to the basement in the light of their torches. It was dark and quiet around them. Quiet enough for Owen to be unnerved. He decided to fill the silence with nonsense. "I hate basements," he said. "There are always terrible secrets in basements."

Suzie turned around to him and rolled her eyes. "Stop being such an idiot." She raised her torch over her head when the stairs ended and looked around. Owen did the same. The basement was a huge room that had been divided-off into some smaller parts. Suzie whistled. "Wow … even the basement will be posh."

"Everything about this place will be posh. That's what they get the big money for."

"Well, maybe it'll never be finished now."

"There's always someone out for a profit. Believe me, someone will finance this." Owen stopped when his torch caught a shadow that flitted away. "Great." He ducked when a screwdriver flew in his direction. "Little punk!" he said and ran towards the Puk. It giggled and flew past him and up the stairs. Owen activated his comm link. "We encountered one of them down here."

Jack answered, _"That was to be expected. At least we've got the shields up. Nothing will get out."_

"Yay for us," Owen sighed.

"_Don't be such a baby."_

"Let's talk again as soon as you've come out of the closet. And I thought nobody could get you back in there."

"_Ouch!"_

"And well deserved," Owen said and disconnected the line.

Suzie laughed. "We don't even know if he's gay," she said.

Owen rolled his eyes at her. "I bet he is. And he's shagging the newbie as well."

"Well, I think he's bi."

"And shagging the newbie?"

"Absolutely."

They stepped into the last room and their torches found some floodlights for them.

"Would you look at that?" Suzie said.

Owen grinned. "Yay for us again."


	6. Chapter 6

**5.**

Ianto smiled tensely at Lisa. "Okay, let's see if this works." He switched on the machine and it gave a whine and a spark, but then the gentle hum of it working to support Lisa's cyberparts took over. "It's working."

"I knew you could do it," she said.

He kissed her lips joyfully. "Is the pain alright?"

"On a bearable level," she answered.

Ianto nodded and brushed a hand over her forehead. "This is it," he said quietly. "We did it."

"We're not done yet," Lisa admonished him.

"I know, but … this was an important step."

She smiled tenderly. "Of course it was, love. You did well." She sighed and seemed to relax for the first time in what felt like years, even though it had only been days. "Are you sure nobody is going to find me down here?"

"I'm sure," Ianto said. He bit his lip then, feeling a bit insecure and corrected, "I'll make sure of that."

"The captain, he trusts you?"

"I think he does."

Lisa frowned. "Make sure."

"Alright."

She smiled again. "Nothing should come between us and our goal."

xxx

Owen and Suzie had split up an were chasing the Puks into the broom closets on every level by coming at them from two sides, the floodlights working perfectly to herd the Puks wherever they wanted them to go.

"I feel like a shepherd," Owen said while Suzie slammed shut yet another door. The high-pitched voices of the five Puks within the closet could be heard, conferring with one another. "I think we got them all now."

"Twenty-three," Suzie said and activated her comm unit. "Tosh?"

She answered, _"I read life signs, but they're all bunched up in what seems to be the closets."_

Jack chipped in, _"Good work."_

Owen smirked. "Did you manage to come out of the closet, yet?"

"_You know, that joke's getting old really fast." _A pause. _"And no. I think they glued it shut."_

Suzie rolled her eyes at Owen. "We'll be with you in a few minutes. We're just about to track the energy signal that brought us here in the first place."

Owen entered a flat to their right. "Et voilà!" he called.

Suzie followed him. She stared at the square containment unit sitting innocently on the floor. "That's where they came from?"

"Maybe it fell through the Rift," Owen suggested, "and was damaged in the process."

Suzie shrugged. "Maybe." She didn't quite believe that. She got her scanner out of her coat pocket and scanned the box. "It's perfectly fine, though."

"That means we can trap those little beasts in it."

"All of them? Poor things," Suzie said. "There's not enough space in it."

"We have more containment units in the SUV. Now that they're caught, we can lower the shield. We just have to find a way to put them into the units without letting them escape."

Suzie had almost forgotten that Jack was hearing every word when he said, _"Let's use a fire extinguisher. Spray them. It'll make it impossible for them to fly if their wings are too heavy from the foam."_

Tosh didn't sound happy about that. _"That's kind of mean."_

Owen shrugged. "That's life."

xxx

Jack breathed a sigh of relief when Suzie and Owen, after some scraping and cursing, finally opened the door to the closet. "What was the problem?" he asked and left the small room, ignoring Owen and Suzie's smirks at the state of his coat and the foam clumps in his hair.

Owen grinned and seemed to bite back a joke. He gestured to some rods lying around nearby. "Metal pillars. Strong little bastards pushed them to block the door."

"I always hated mythical creatures," Jack answered.

Tosh frowned. "How are Puks mythical again?"

"Celtic small house ghosts. More Poltergeists, really. Originated when the Puks came here thousands of years ago. Maybe through some Rift that's closed now, maybe some other way."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Fascinating." He nodded towards the door. "While you've been indisposed, we switched off the shield and trapped the Puks and then put them in containment units. Fire extinguishers worked like a charm, by the way."

"We'll give them a cell in the Hub until we know what to do with them," Jack answered. They couldn't just set the Puks free again like they did with the Weevils. Once caught, the Weevils seemed to learn their lesson and stayed down in the sewers. Since the team tagged every Weevil they caught, they knew that they had never caught the same Weevil twice.

Jack shoved his hands in his coat pockets and strolled towards the stairs. The team followed him.

Suzie cleared her throat. "They escaped from a containment unit similar to ours. The time lock disengaging must have been the strange energy signature that led us here."

Tosh answered, "That makes sense. A time lock is a magnetic disturbance. My sensors would pick up on it."

"We're worried about who might have put the box there."

Owen snorted. "We? You. _I_ think it fell through the Rift."

Tosh replied, "No Rift activity."

"Know-it-all," Owen muttered.

Jack stopped and turned around to them, his back to the stairs. "So, someone set the Puks free to do what?"

Suzie met his eyes, her face deeply worried. "I have no idea. The containment unit's not marked but it looks like one of those Torchwood One used. Someone must have rescued it from the ruins or stolen it from one of the warehouses."

"Someone used it to lure us out."

Owen shook his head. "That makes no sense. Who would do that?"

Jack turned away to descend the stairs. "Maybe we'll never know." He activated his comm link. "Ianto? We're done here. I'll send the team home – it's been a long day. You can leave, too. See you tomorrow."

xxx

Ianto set up a camp bed in one corner and a chair with a lamp and a small table in another. He stashed a small trunk with essentials at the foot of the bed and prepared a sleeping bag. He'd rented a furnished flat not far from the Hub where he kept his books, DVDs, CDs and most of his clothes, but it was only for appearances sake and his boxes weren't even unpacked yet. He would rather spend the night here with Lisa who needed him than alone in his flat.

He checked on Lisa and adjusted her pain medication. She was sleeping peacefully by now and he breathed a sigh of relief, then he went to park the van further away from the garage door to avoid suspicion. When he re-entered the Hub a few minutes later, his comm link crackled to life.

"_Ianto? We're done here. I'll send the team home – it's been a long day. You can leave, too. See you tomorrow." _

"Yes, sir," he answered, having no intention of returning home. In front of Lisa's room, though, he stopped and checked his watch. There was enough time to get some work done in the archives. Jack would probably never know that he hadn't left and somehow, Ianto doubted that Jack frequented the archives.

He worked through some files, relishing the methodical sorting and scanning after he'd done nothing but unfamiliar things all day. He set up a plan on how to sort the archives in the future and made a note to ask Toshiko to help him write a program for it.

He was so intent on his task that he didn't hear Jack step behind him until he said, "The CCTV was right – Ianto Jones still hard at work."

Ianto whirled around to him, his hands shaking with nerves. "Sir."

Jack grinned at him and winked. "Didn't intend to scare you."

"You did." He took in Jack's clumped hair and the stains on his coat. "What happened?"

"I encountered the wrong side of a fire extinguisher."

Guilt gnawed at Ianto's subconscious. "Is everyone alright?"

"Just fine. Tucked up in bed. Where you should be, by the way." He winked again. "Did you hope to be tucked up in mine?"

Ianto couldn't help but blush. The blatant come-on wasn't something he was used to. Men had flirted with him before, but he'd always dashed their hopes fast, curious but not curious enough. He couldn't really do that with Jack, though. He'd already flirted too much with him.

He displayed a small smile that he hoped was the right mix of abashed and flirty. "Sexual harassment, sir."

He seemed to have done it right, because Jack took a step closer.

"And here I was afraid that you wouldn't flirt with me anymore now that you got the job."

Ianto swallowed. "I ..." He touched Jack's arm tentatively, thumb brushing over dried foam. "I know a very good dry-cleaner. I could take care of that."

"Oh, I bet you can," Jack drawled and leaned closer.

Ianto closed his eyes for a second and then he pressed his lips against Jack's. He kept them resolutely closed and pulled back as soon as he felt Jack respond.

"What was that for?" Jack asked. Large hands settled on Ianto's waist.

He tried on a smile. "I don't know."

Jack smiled gently and it made him more attractive than the open grin he often showed. Ianto was struck by the thought of how beautiful he was, but he squashed it quickly. The truth was, he really didn't know why he'd done that. He just wanted Jack to stop coming on to him, because he was so scared of reacting in a way that would give him away. But what scared him even more was the fleeting interest in what it would be like, being with Jack.

Lisa would be healed soon, he told himself, until then, he could easily keep Jack away with one or two fleeting kisses, faking nerves and – should push come to shove – play the 'first man ever'-card. Jack would respect that and keep his distance.

Jack's hand cupped Ianto's cheek. "Well, go home then, Ianto Jones, and tell me as soon as you know."

Ianto nodded, gave a shy smile and fled the archives. As soon as he was far enough away, he leaned against the wall and buried his face in his hands.

xxx

The ceiling looked strange in the blue light the conversion unit was throwing. Every rough patch and nick was visible, standing out against the light in dark shadows. Lisa was asleep, the medication keeping her in a near-coma. Ianto was curled up in the sleeping bag, unable to sleep. The kiss kept running around in his head, the feel of Jacks lips, the gentle smile …

Ianto sat up, startled. He could hear steps in the corridor outside. Carefully, he left the sleeping bag and leaned against the door, risking a look outside though the small window. Jack stood just a few steps away, staring down the corridor towards the car park. He wasn't wearing his coat anymore and his hair had been washed. He seemed tired and sad in the low light of the corridors, as if there was a weight resting on his shoulders he couldn't quite get rid of. He turned away and left. Ianto breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did they find us?" Lisa asked drowsily.

Ianto smiled at her. "No. Everything's alright." He kissed her lips. "We're fine."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 2 – Ice**

**Prologue**

Ianto's first week at work wasn't much different from the first day. Owen had started to be a bit nicer towards him whenever Ianto served him coffee and while Suzie and Tosh were polite and friendly, Jack kept flirting with him relentlessly. He'd kissed Ianto only once, yesterday, in the archives. Ianto didn't quite know what would have happened if there hadn't been a Rift alarm. He also didn't quite know what to do about Jack's growing interest. He'd intended to think things through in the evening when he returned from the archives long after Jack had officially sent all of them home, but he didn't get the opportunity.

When he adjusted the power flow to Lisa's conversion unit, he misjudged it and the lights went out. The red emergency lights switched on and Ianto hurried to the generator to fix the problem before Jack would realize something was wrong. He managed to fix the power flow, though, and was just on his way back to Lisa's room when he turned a corner and ran into someone.

"Ianto," Jack said, surprised. "What are you still doing here? I sent everyone home."

Ianto swallowed. "I … still had some work to do. In the archives."

"It's almost midnight."

Ianto gave an embarrassed smile. "Yes, I'm kind of a workaholic, really." Jack still seemed to have questions, so Ianto added quickly, "I fixed the generator."

Jack looked at the lights. "I noticed."

"We should really see about an upgrade. It's rather old."

"But it's working," Jack answered, "and normally, it never fails. I just want to check that out."

Ianto realized that he would see the new cables attached to the generator and shook his head. "Not necessary. Everything's running fine."

"Well, I'll have to check that room either way. I can't find Yvonne anywhere. She never stays away for more than a few hours and I didn't see her since lunch time."

"She's not down there."

"Ianto-"

"I lied," Ianto said, to his own surprise.

Jack frowned. "What?"

Ianto swallowed and looked away. He fidgeted uncomfortably and straightened his tie nervously.

"I'll tell you right now that I don't want anyone on my team lying to me, Ianto." Jack's voice was low but hard, carrying a warning into the corridor's damp air. His voice softened a fraction. "Do you have problems? I can help." One of Jack's hands touched Ianto's arm. "Is it about Canary Wharf?"

"No," Ianto answered hastily, "it's got nothing to do with Canary Wharf." He tried a reassuring smile.

Jack's eyebrows raised. "Is it about the kisses?"

Ianto thought that sounded reasonable enough. "Yes." And he really was a bit bothered by those.

Jack smiled. "Were you hiding from me in the archives? Because that's really not necessary. I don't bite." He leaned closer. "Unless you ask me to."

Ianto took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then he opened them and kissed Jack. Jack wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. When Jack's tongue pushed against Ianto's lips, he refused to open them at first but then he relented. Jack moaned and pushed Ianto against a wall, sliding his hands beneath his jacket to grab his waist. Ianto put his hands on Jack's shoulders and hesitantly stroked down his chest. He wasn't sure what to do but followed Jack's lead when he pushed one leg between Ianto's. He felt himself harden and ignored it – it was an automatic response, nothing else –, but he gasped into Jack's mouth and was rewarded with a laugh. One of Jack's hands opened the last button on Ianto's shirt and slid beneath, massaging his skin. The other cupped his erection through Ianto's trousers. Ianto startled and instinctively turned away, catching the movement to avoid Jack getting suspicious. He wasn't prepared to go this far. There was Lisa. She was alive and he loved her and while he would be able to take the guilty sting out of the memories of kissing Jack, he didn't think he would be able to do the same if he did more.

Jack stopped kissing him and leaned their foreheads together. "What is it?"

Ianto's shaky fingers stopped fiddling with Jack's buttons. He closed his eyes. He'd really messed this up. Why had he allowed them to go this far in the first place? He should have stopped at the first sign of Jack trying to undress him.

Jack's fingers brushed his cheek. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Give me a moment," Ianto muttered. "I didn't expect this to happen."

"I didn't expect this, either," Jack answered and Ianto could hear a smile in his voice, "but it's a pleasant surprise." He took Ianto's hand and put it on his cock, straining against the cloth of his trousers. "You're welcome to surprise me even more, Ianto Jones."

Instinctively, Ianto tightened his hold and Jack moaned. Ianto watched Jack's face while he brushed his thumb over his erection teasingly. Jack closed his eyes and pushed Ianto against the wall, balling his hands to fists on Ianto's hips. He opened Jack's trousers, his fingers feeling numb. Jack smiled and helped him. Ianto pushed his hand into Jack's trousers and under his pants to find his cock. Jack groaned and kissed him deeply. He pressed closer and cupped his back of the neck with one hand. The other joined Ianto's in his own trousers, adjusting his angle and grip. "Like this," he whispered.

Ianto heard himself mutter "Sorry" and couldn't help but shake his head at the absurdity of the situation.

"It's okay," Jack answered softly. His breath caught for a second. "It's okay, Ianto." He moaned and kissed Ianto again. Jack's scent was heady around them. Even though the corridor was damp and chilly, Ianto felt hot, as if they'd built up a cocoon of warmth around them. Jack's hands went to Ianto's trousers, massaging him through the cloth and then popping open the button. Ianto knew he shouldn't let Jack touch him. Kissing, getting him off … he could do all that and brush it off as necessary, maybe, but letting Jack stroke where only Lisa was allowed to touch … he only knew one way to stop him without arousing suspicion, so Ianto fell to his knees.

He switched off the part of his mind that wanted to panic; he didn't hesitate, he just pushed his cheek against Jack's arousal, feeling fingers in his hair and hearing a soft chuckle. He pulled down Jack's trousers, closed his eyes and removed his pants, too, then he took him into his mouth. Jack's fingers clenched in his hair reflexively and Ianto felt himself pushed closer, then back against the wall.

"Oh, yes," Jack panted. "Ianto ..." Jack's cock constricted his throat and Ianto gagged. Jack pulled him back gently. "Careful. Mind the teeth. Go slow." He pushed Ianto closer again, slower this time, cradling his head. He surprised Ianto by bending his knees to grab his arm. His fingers wrapped around Ianto's wrist and placed his hand against Jack's hip. "The other one," he gasped and Ianto complied, pushing Jack's hips back and finding a way to control his movements. He had no idea what he was doing, but he kept his eyes closed and moved his tongue in something akin to a rhythm until he'd worked out how Jack liked to be licked and sucked. Jack gave high-pitched gasps and Ianto felt a bit of pride for getting it right that quickly, even though that was ridiculous. He only registered the cold floor was beneath his knees and the damp wall directly behind him when Jack leaned forward to plant a hand against the wall above Ianto's head; he felt trapped.

Ianto bobbed his head slowly, learning the right angle and filing it away for future use.

"Oh, God, you're a natural. The things I could teach you …," Jack chuckled breathlessly. Ianto felt tears gather in his eyes and forced them away. His erection had wilted and he only wanted to get up and leave, but he was in too deep. There was no turning back.

Jack adjusted Ianto's speed and angle and when he came, Ianto swallowed, trying to ignore the taste. He remained kneeling while Jack got his breath back. He heard Jack pull up his pants and trousers and only then did he open his eyes again. Jack pulled him up and kissed him, pushing Ianto against the wall again.

Ianto felt Jack's fingers trying to push down his trousers and shook his head. He buttoned up his trousers and put his hands protectively in front of his lap, shielding it from view. He ducked his head. "I came," he lied.

Jack tilted his chin up to show Ianto a wide teasing smile. "Well, next time, wait. I've been told my blowjobs are quite memorable."

Next time … Ianto ducked his head again, feeling tears spill over. He wouldn't be able to explain this away, wouldn't he? Not even for himself. He'd enjoyed part of it! He'd enjoyed his boss – a man – kissing and fondling him just a few doors away from where his girlfriend was strapped into a conversion unit – in agony!

"Hey," Jack said softly, worry colouring his voice, "Ianto, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Jack tilted his head up again. "You're crying."

It slipped out before Ianto could stop himself, "This was wrong."

Jack frowned. "You enjoyed it, right?"

Ianto couldn't shake his head, so he nodded.

"Then it wasn't."

"It was inappropriate," Ianto whispered, feeling lower than dirt for that understatement. Jack chuckled and before Ianto knew what was going on, Jack had wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a warm embrace. It had been so long since anybody had done this for him – he'd been used to daily affectionate touches from Lisa before Canary Wharf, now she could barely lift her arm to stroke his cheek – he fell into the broad chest and buried his face against Jack's shoulder.

"It's okay," Jack whispered. "You're safe here, okay?" If Jack wanted to think that he was having some sort of PTSD break-down, then Ianto wouldn't deny it. Jack pulled away and kissed his lips firmly. "Go home, Ianto. Come to work tomorrow. I expect nothing but for you to do your best at your job. Everything else …" He smiled. "It's a bonus." He turned away and left.

Ianto watched him go until he'd disappeared, faintly noting that Jack seemed to have forgotten about Yvonne. He wiped his cheeks and his eyes and thought that that had been exactly what he'd intended.

When he lay in the camp bed in Lisa's room, wrapped in his warm sleeping bag, he wondered why he couldn't stop crying then.


	8. Chapter 8

**1.**

It started with an annoying tickle at the back of Ianto's throat and no amount clearing it could remove it. Now, several days later and just as many nights since he'd given Jack a blowjob, Ianto was standing in the kitchen niche in the main Hub, brewing himself a cup of tea in the foolish hope of wrestling down his cold. It would help not to sleep in Lisa's damp room in the basement, but there was just no way he would leave her alone.

He coughed.

Toshiko looked up from her computer to give him a worried look and he smiled. She returned the smile and went back to work. Suzie and Owen had left to fetch a Weevil. Ianto was glad they weren't here. With only him, Jack and Toshiko present, he almost felt like a normal human being instead of a servant. Ianto sighed. It had become a bad habit of theirs. Sometimes they talked to him and then acted as if they'd forgotten he was there in the middle of a chat and left to get back to work. Not that they ever asked him how he was or if he was okay after the battle or if he'd lost friends. Not that Ianto wanted them to, but it would be nice to know that they cared. Jack didn't ask either, but he at least listened to Ianto's suggestions for optimizing the effectiveness of the Hub and Toshiko was just as quiet around him as she was around the rest of the team. She went to get certain files she needed when he was too busy to go and get it himself and she took the time to explain her work on the database of pictures, maps and blue prints she was digitalizing. They were already deep into planning how to link her database of pictures with Ianto's database of files. Toshiko was nice, Ianto liked her. Too bad he was lying to her when she asked him why he spent so much time in the archives.

Ianto sipped his tea and watched Jack walking around the main Hub, impatiently calling for Yvonne. It was kind of amusing to see Jack so worried about the cat he sometimes claimed to want to kill because she'd spilled his scotch or eaten his pie.

When he came near the kitchen niche, Jack looked at Ianto imploringly.

"Nothing in the lower levels," Ianto said. "I triple-checked and closed the doors so that she can't get down there. She must be somewhere around here." He'd relieved Jack of searching the lower levels days ago, out of fear he would discover Lisa while looking for Yvonne.

Toshiko joined them, smiling when Ianto pointed at the coffee machine questioningly. "Yes, please. I wonder where she is," she said.

Jack sighed and put his hands on his hips. "That damn cat."

In that moment, their pterodactyl – or pteranodon, nobody had really bothered to look it up until now – screeched and left its nest to gracefully land on the floor at the foot of the water tower. Myfanwy – nobody had looked up if it was a girl or a boy either, they all just agreed to the name and the assumption that it was a girl – watched the basin for a second, then she caught a fish and swallowed it whole.

"Didn't she have lunch half an hour ago?" Jack asked.

"She's always hungry," Ianto answered, "and she eats everything she can get."

They watched the creature for a minute, then their eyes widened when Yvonne's vanishing suddenly made sense.

Tosh put a hand on her mouth. "Oh."

Ianto grimaced. "How unfortunate. Poor Yvonne."

Jack sighed deeply and Ianto caught a glimpse of grief on his face. Then he straightened his back and shoulders. "We can't be sure. Ianto, do you keep Myfanwy's waste here for long?"

Ianto pulled a face, knowing where this was going. "I'm composting it in the basement to use for the hothouse."

"Very efficient," Jack praised. Then he winked. "Do me a favor and search for … the remains."

"Sir?"

"Ianto." With that, he turned away and headed for his office. Ianto stared after him, reminded of all the other mundane tasks that he was doing "just because" – mucking out the cells, cleaning the SUV, meeting the team at scenes and carting away dead corpses or what was left of them while the team went back to the base to investigate or to go out to the pub. They didn't ask him if he needed help or if he would mind doing the dirty jobs. When Owen had told Ianto that he should clean up the med bay after a rather messy autopsy, Ianto had been on his knees scrubbing the floor for three hours while Owen was lounging on the already clean table, reading a magazine with a rather undressed woman on its cover. Ianto didn't complain. He didn't want too much of their attention. He just wished that they would at least think about asking him out to the pub now and then, even if he would turn them down. It would make him feel as if he was part of something. They'd stopped after the first couple of invites. Not because they thought it was a waste of words. It was obvious that they started to just forget about him. Ianto had opted to be in the background. What he hadn't wanted to become was part of the furniture.

Toshiko gave Ianto a sympathetic smile. "I could help you."

"No. I'll do it."

She nodded and went back to her computer. Ianto coughed and scratched his itching nose, indulging in a rather ungraceful wipe underneath it with his sleeve. Looking for Yvonne's remains would ruin this suit either way. He was just getting a head-start.

Owen and Suzie chose that moment to come up from the garage, laughing about something. Owen spotted Ianto and pointed backwards. "Weevil's in the boot." And he vanished into the autopsy bay.

"Of course," Ianto muttered. He should get it into a cell immediately before the sedation wore off. He could check on Lisa while he was down there.

xxx

Jack had never particularly liked Yvonne. But he'd gotten used to her being around and sometimes, just sometimes, she'd been really nice to him. He sighed deeply, regretfully, and leaned back in his chair. Now she was gone. The phone interrupted his thoughts and he picked it up. "Harkness."

"_You stupid boy, do you have any idea that you could have just ruined Torchwood?"_

Jack sighed deeply. He knew that gravely voice and that Scottish accent. "Archie," he said, "what can I do for Torchwood Two on such a sunny day?"

"_It's raining, lad. And don't you dare and try to change the subject. What were you thinking? Is it asking too much that you move your skinny arse to a phone and call Archie these days? What are you doing? Are you too busy shagging your secretary?" _

Jack grinned. "Still referring to yourself in third person, I see. However much I love to be your punching bag, Archie, what's this call about?"

"_Torchwood One."_

Jack closed his eyes. "Is gone."

"_Don't you dare and joke about this. Did you even read the handbook when you took over command?"_

"No! I was too busy. We can't all have some nice little archive. We have Rift activity here in Cardiff."

"_Well, then you're screwed." _Archie sighed deeply. _"Listen, lad, UNIT called. Smug bastards. Torchwood is effectively short one headquarters and they've been waiting for us to step forward. Torchwood Two has been waiting for you to step forward. But you didn't and now they're ready to take over command. They told Archie to prepare for a bloody visit to have a look at his management! He could lose his job because you've been too lazy to write one bloody e-mail!" _

Jack frowned. "I had no idea that I had to do that." He held the receiver down and yelled, "Ianto!"

From somewhere in the main Hub, Suzie answered, "He's gone to start looking through that pterodactyl's waste!"

"Well, get him in my office right this second!" He heard Owen say something about not being the bloody servant and about Jack learning to use his comm link, but he ignored him. "Archie, we're getting to it."

"_Archie really hopes you do, son. Because UNIT is eager to get their hands on Torchwood."_

"That won't happen," Jack said and slammed the receiver down. He leaned back in his chair and pinched his bottom lip between forefinger and thumb. Impatiently, he waited, tried to reach Ianto via the comm link, failed, waited again and then yelled, "Ianto!"

Suzie appeared in the doorway. She looked annoyed. "He's not answering his comm link. Owen's fetching him. Give him a few minutes."

"Sit down," Jack answered. He didn't wait for her to obey, but continued, "I just had a call from Archie. UNIT's hell-bent on taking over command. Apparently, we should have stepped up to become HQ after One went down."

Suzie's eyes widened. "I didn't know that."

"Me neither. They already told Archie to be ready for a visit. It's only a matter of time before they're going to turn up here."

Suzie crossed her arms and leaned against the window front separating the office from the main Hub. "So? Let's just apply for that position and everything's alright."

"I doubt that it's that easy."

There was the sound of running feet and then Ianto burst into Jack's office. "Sir?"

"Why aren't you wearing your comm link?" Jack snapped.

Owen strolled into the office, hands shoved deep into his jeans pockets.

Ianto's hand went to his ear and he cringed. "I'm sorry, sir, I forgot-"

"UNIT is all but ready to take over Torchwood and my PA, the PA who I thought read all handbooks that were ever written on Torchwood, didn't breathe a word about it to me!"

Owen gaped. "UNIT's what?"

Ianto seemed honestly surprised. "I didn't know."

Jack was past caring. UNIT on his back was the last thing he needed right now. Just applying for the position wouldn't do. They would want to know everything. Ianto hadn't made one single mistake until now, but in this important thing, he'd let Jack down. It reminded him of Yvonne Hartmann's attitude. He'd always been the last one to know if something important was going on with Torchwood. Maybe it was unfair, but at the moment, Ianto was the one who would take the blame. Jack got up and slammed a hand down on his desk. "How could you not know? You're from Torchwood One! I thought you people knew everything! You certainly acted like you did!"

Suzie raised a placating hand. "Hey, Jack! Calm down. He said he didn't know. He was just an archivist."

Ianto muttered, "Up for a junior researcher position, actually."

Suzie glared at him. "Not helping."

From the door, a tentative voice said, "Jack?" Everyone turned towards Tosh. She was standing there, looking uncomfortable for getting so much attention. "Will UNIT come here?" she asked.

Jack looked at her earnestly, knowing that she was brave enough to face every threat head-on, but UNIT … UNIT was another story altogether. He knew that she was still suffering from nightmares from her imprisonment with them. One of her worst fears was to be taken away from Torchwood by them, but Jack wouldn't let them. He tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Probably. You should prepare yourself for that possibility."

She nodded bravely.

Jack looked at Ianto. "Fine. You and I will contact UNIT right away and do the paperwork. The rest of you, back to work." He waited until everyone but Ianto had filed out, then he sighed deeply and sank into his chair. Ianto was looking at him as if Jack hadn't all but bitten his head off a minute ago and Jack felt guilty. He offered Ianto a seat and handed him the phone before turning to his computer to look for some kind of document titled _In case of the HQ burning down to the ground_. "Patch me through to Nowak. Let's sort out this mess."

xxx

Ianto booked hotel rooms for the UNIT representatives and informed the rest of the team that Torchwood Three would undergo an investigation to assess if they were able to handle the pressure of being the Torchwood headquarters. Jack fell into a worried, nervous frenzy and had everyone clean up the parts of the Hub the UNIT officers would be likely to see. Owen cracked some jokes about Jack almost bursting into tears when he saw the archives. Jack hadn't been close to tears, but he'd certainly swallowed when he saw the unlabeled files and stacked boxes. Ianto had never seen Jack that way. He always acted nonchalant when UNIT was involved, but he seemed to be really worried about them taking away his authority. Torchwood wasn't really connected to UNIT in any way but they were vulnerable. They were only five people and if UNIT managed to get the Prime Minister and the royal family on their side – telling them that Torchwood was sadly unable to deal with anything now that they were barely half a dozen officers and would her majesty just think back to what happened at Canary Wharf because of Torchwood? – then their chances were low. Jack had a right to be concerned and when he was worried, then they should be too. So they obeyed and even Owen was seen cleaning his med bay. Tosh was quiet and jumpy. Ianto saw her and Jack talking in his office at one point. She seemed upset and Jack hugged her tightly. Ianto wondered if anyone beside Jack knew that Tosh had come to Torchwood from a UNIT prison. Judging by the curious looks Owen and Suzie were giving the scene in Jack's office, Ianto didn't think so. He'd read the report on Tosh's transfer into Jack's care when he'd still worked in Torchwood One. He'd been the one who'd been assigned to file it away in the personnel files.

Ianto served Tosh a mug of coffee when she returned to her desk. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded with a small smile. "Yes. I'm okay now."

He went to hand his cup to Owen who was by now busy playing _Solitaire_.

Ianto startled when Tosh's computer gave an annoyed beep and he sidled closer again to have a look at what was going on. The computer automatically opened the Rift predictor program.

Tosh called out, "I've got a small spike!"

Jack hurried towards her from his office. "Where?"

Tosh was already locating it and shook her head when the program marked a place on the Cardiff map. "Right outside," she said and looked at Jack. "It's in the bay right outside this building."

xxx

"Okay," Jack said, striding purposefully away from the old tourist office that had been a cover for Torchwood for years in the 90s. He heard the determined footsteps of his team behind him. Staring straight ahead he said, "We need to find the source of the Rift spike."

"Uh … Jack!" Owen called and Jack turned back around to him. "I think I've found it." Owen pointed towards the bay right beside them and when Jack turned his head, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Suzie said, "Wow! That's ..."

Tosh suggested, "Unusual?"

"Impossible," Suzie answered.

The water, normally moving in gentle waves, was frozen; yachts, ferries and boats offering tours for tourists didn't bob up and down anymore. They were stuck in what seemed to be drift ice.

Jack put his hands on his hips. "Well, isn't that interesting."

Owen shook his head. "It's March and the last time I checked we weren't living in Antarctica."

"It's something in the water. Something the Rift let through," Jack said. He watched hundreds of people gathering on the boardwalk to stare at the strange phenomenon. "There's nothing we can do from here. Let's get back downstairs. Owen, Suzie, keep an eye on the local news. Tosh, you're coming with me. We're using the mini-sub." He grinned joyfully. "I love the mini-sub!"


	9. Chapter 9

**2.**

The mini-sub was situated in one of the lower levels of the Hub and really small, but it had everything they needed. It offered space for up to four people, but it was much more comfortable with just two in it.

Jack fell into the pilot's chair with ease, taking a moment to readjust to the controls of the submarine. Tosh sat in the seat next to him. "It's March. There shouldn't be drift ice out there."

"But there is," Jack answered. He checked that the door was sealed and then powered up the engine. The submarine eased under the surface of the water and then out the gate into the murky water of the bay. Jack grinned at Tosh. "Just like old times."

She frowned in confusion, but he didn't elaborate. It wouldn't do to tell her that the controls of many space ships he'd piloted were akin to the mini-sub's controls. She didn't know about his past as a time agent and intergalactic conman. There was no reason to tell her.

Instead, he explained, "This is an easy job. We pick it up, deactivate it and nobody will know what happened. No amnesia pills needed. Everybody will think it was some kind of freak of nature." He reduced the speed and stopped the submarine altogether, checking the instruments. "We must be directly next to it. Do you see something?" he asked. Tosh squinted out the small windows. Jack used the submarine's powerful lights to look at the ground beneath. He started the engine and changed their position, then they looked again.

"There," Tosh said and pointed at what looked like a ball the size of a head carved out of dark stone.

"Looks alien," Jack said and used the submarine's grappler to pick it up and put it into one of the cages attached at the outer wall. He pushed a button and the cage slid shut. "Let's get back and deactivate it. Then you can start playing with it." He grinned at her, but Tosh just nodded. She seemed subdued. Jack knew why and put a hand on her knee. "Toshiko, it's going to be alright. UNIT's not going to take you away."

She looked at him earnestly. "I hope you're right."

"I won't let them," he said. He cupped the back of her head and smiled. "I'll do everything I can to protect you. You know that, right?"

She swallowed audibly and nodded slowly.

He kissed her forehead. "It's going to be okay." He really hoped so.

xxx

"They will find me," Lisa sobbed. "UNIT … they'll find me."

Ianto shook his head and promised, "They won't. It's okay." He swallowed against the stinging pain in his throat and gave Lisa a small smile. "They'll have a look at the main Hub, the archives and the cells. There's no reason for them to search every single room in this base. So they won't find you. I won't let them." He wiped away her tears. "It's okay. I'll do everything I can to protect you. I promise." He turned away and coughed.

When he turned back, Lisa had stopped crying and was smiling at him faintly. "Okay. I believe you," she whispered.

xxx

The globe sat in the middle of the boardroom table, looking innocent, plain and almost a bit boring to Suzie. Nevertheless, Tosh seemed to be fascinated by it. Suzie could relate. That thing was powerful enough to freeze the surface of the water in the bay. Something had to be special about it. Jack was listening attentively while Tosh gave an initial report on her findings. Owen looked bored out of his mind, but that wasn't unusual for him. Suzie felt a bit restless herself. It had nothing to do with Tosh's briefing. That was brilliant as always. She wanted to get back to the glove and the knife, her very own pet project.

Tosh said, "It's not smooth. In fact there are chinks in it, running over the surface and dividing the globe into several plates. You can spin them around, like a Rubik's cube. There are no buttons, so I didn't know how to shut it off. I decided to try an EM pulse. I hope it worked. There's no energy signature, nothing to imply if it's working or shut off, so I can't say for sure until the ice in the bay starts to melt. Since it's pretty thick, it could take a while."

Owen sneered. "Very helpful."

Tosh ducked her head and focused on the laptop, paying no attention to Owen's glare from the other side of the boardroom table, apparently not intending to reply.

Jack, on the other hand, did so; sharply and with narrowed eyes. "I think it's not in your job description to understand alien technology. It's in Tosh and Suzie's."

Suzie was a bit taken aback by hearing Jack being so adamant and defensive. But something was upsetting Tosh – she'd been strangely nervous all day – and Jack's protective streak for her was a mile wide.

"Yes, but they apparently don't understand it," Owen answered.

Before Jack could reply, the door opened and Ianto entered, bringing distraction, calm and news. "I just heard on the BBC – the ice is slowly melting." Everybody breathed a sigh of relief and Jack gifted Tosh with a smile while Ianto continued, "Everybody's wondering what happened. I made up some rumors about students who thought it would be funny to experiment and some others that state it was some kind of weapon test gone wrong. People have already picked up on them and are spreading them via the internet."

Jack shook his head with a laugh. "You people ..." Sometimes, Suzie wondered what he meant when he said things like that. Jack was such a mystery. He managed to intrigue her more the longer they worked together.

He gifted Ianto with a smile. "Ianto, the representatives will arrive first thing tomorrow. Clean up the tourist office and make it look shiny. Not too shiny, though. Just ..."

"Neat," Ianto suggested.

"Right," Jack nodded.

"Of course, sir." Ianto gave a nod and left.

"Tosh … I want you to get back to that device first thing in the morning. I'll keep an eye on it tonight but I think you're right. The EM pulse shut it off. I want all of you to go home. Sleep. It'll be a long day tomorrow."

xxx

Down in the main Hub, Tosh very carefully set down the device on her desk with Suzie's help. Owen snagged his leather jacket from the back of his chair. "Hey, you girls up for a pint?" he asked.

Suzie shrugged. "Why not?"

Tosh looked between them and sighed. She would feel like the third wheel and she really wasn't in the mood for that. "No, thanks. I'm too knackered."

Owen answered, "Suit yourself." He stepped up to her desk and seemed to intend to make a graceful motion by swinging his jacket over his shoulders. Instead, he hit the device and it rolled off the desk. It clattered to the floor, accompanied by Tosh and Suzie's alarmed cries.

Nobody moved.

Nothing happened.

On the first level, Jack burst from the boardroom and stared down at them. "What's going on?"

Suzie breathed a sigh of relief. "Nothing." Tosh crouched on the floor and picked the device up, carefully looking for damages. When Suzie crouched next to her and looked at her questioningly, she shook her head. Suzie shot Owen a look. "What did you do that for?"

"It was an accident!"

"It could have killed us! How can you be so careless around artifacts?"

Tosh tuned them out, her hands brushing over the surface of the globe. By now, Jack had reached them and crouched next to her. "Tosh?"

"It doesn't seem to be damaged."

Suzie used one of Tosh's scanners. "No energy readings," she said. "I'd say it's inactive, but we didn't pick up energy readings when the bay was frozen, either."

Owen asked, "Are we sure that it works that way? Maybe it needs some time to boot up."

"Maybe we wouldn't have to ask ourselves that question if you would be more careful," Suzie snapped. Owen crossed his arms. Tosh carefully picked the globe up and set it down on her desk. Suzie brushed her hand over its surface carefully. "If this is some sort of weather device, we wouldn't see the effects down here, right?"

Jack nodded and activated his comm link. "Ianto, do me a favor, look out the window and tell me if the weather's changed."

Tosh touched her own comm link to listen to Ianto's answer. She saw Suzie do the same. Owen pouted.

"_It's … raining, sir." _Ianto's confusion was obvious.

"Has it been raining all day?" Jack asked.

"_I'm afraid so, sir."_

Owen rolled his eyes. "Mate, you really need to leave the Hub more often."

"Why?" Jack asked with a grin. "I have everything I need right here."

Tosh wondered – again – if Jack even had a flat or a house. From the day she'd started working here, he'd said that he was responsible for monitoring the Rift at night and that he slept in the Hub for that very reason. That hadn't changed since, even though the team had more than once offered to do a rota for night shifts.

"Okay," Jack said. "Go home before Owen destroys something else." Owen pulled a face in Jack's direction, but Suzie took his arm and pulled him towards the exit. Tosh went back to examining the globe. Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "I think it's okay."

"He's so careless," Tosh said and for some reason, she had to suppress tears. "Anything could have happened. He could have destroyed it." Sometimes Tosh wondered if she was the only one fascinated by the more mundane finds they made. The letters, the toys for children of the future or another alien race … Owen and Suzie didn't seem interested in anything more than what they could use the technology for. Jack, though …

"That would have been a shame," Jack said gently and Toshiko looked up to see him smile at her. "Its effects were disastrous, that doesn't have to mean that it's a weapon."

Tosh nodded. That was exactly what she had been thinking.

"Go home," Jack said. The cogwheel door rolled open and Ianto entered, his hands folded behind his back. And just like that, Jack's attention shifted. "Ianto Jones, just the man I wanted to see."

Ianto raised one eyebrow.

Tosh nodded at Jack, then Ianto and left them alone. While the door closed behind her, she heard Ianto ask, "Coffee, sir?"

Jack answered, "Who could resist that offer?"

For a moment, she wondered if those words were euphemisms for something else, but then she decided that it wasn't her place to ask.

xxx

Two hours of paperwork and Jack's flirting later, Ianto managed to escape and left the Hub via the cogwheel door. He sneaked back in through the garage, checked on Lisa and curled up wrapped in the sleeping bag. He shivered and coughed, wondering if the room felt cooler than before, but sleep claimed him before he could settle for an answer.

Later that night, Ianto's breaths were clearly visible in the now icy air and Lisa shifted in her sleep. Even the warmth of the conversion unit was beginning to lose its effect.

Jack, who was lying in his camp bed listening to an old record and reading a book, got an additional blanket from his closet and wrapped himself up in it, resolving to check on the heating first thing tomorrow.

Nobody saw the layer of ice forming on the water tower, or the basin turning into a frozen pond.


	10. Chapter 10

**3.**

Ianto woke with a painful cough. "Oh God," he muttered and wrapped himself tighter into the sleeping bag. He wasn't prone to becoming sick, so he hadn't felt this bad in ages. He wanted to curl up and let Lisa take care of him, just like he had done for her more than once. But at the same time, he knew that that was impossible.

Lisa's soft voice echoed in the room when she asked, "Ianto?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes."

"It's cold in here."

Ianto reached up a hand and turned on the small bedside lamp he'd attached to the camp bed. He could see his breath forming small clouds and coughed again. He saw small chips of ice had formed in the damp corners of the room and forced himself to move. He peeled the sleeping bag away and got dressed hurriedly. "This is not normal," he said, his teeth chattering. He took Lisa's hand and kissed her gently. "Something's wrong," he told her, "I think the device we found yesterday activated again." He felt her shivering a bit and thought for a minute about what he could do against that. He had an idea and smiled. "Be right back."

xxx

Jack was standing in the main Hub wearing his RAF coat buttoned up to the neck and silently succumbing to a nervous breakdown. The cavernous room looked like something out of a winter tale – ice crystals had formed on the furniture and the computers, the water normally trickling down the massive sculpture in the middle of the room was frozen, just like the basin, and the metal railings were icy to the touch.

UNIT would arrive in three hours. Jack had two persons to call who could help him sort out this mess. Speed dial number two had Tosh answer her phone. Jack ordered her to the Hub immediately. Speed dial four connected him with Ianto.

"_Sir,"_ he said as a greeting, _"I'm already on my way in." _He sounded a bit breathless. Jack assumed that he was walking from his flat to the Hub.

"We have a major crisis," he said.

"_I expected that." _A pause, then Ianto added hurriedly, _"Or you wouldn't have called, sir."_

"I guess it's too late to tell you to bring a warm coat?"

"_I'm already at the door to the tourist office. I could go back, though, and-"_

"Not necessary," Jack interrupted him. "We have coats here. Just … hurry." He rang off and continued to stare at his somewhat rippled reflection in the icy surface of the water tower until the alarm to the entrance door sounded and Ianto joined him. He didn't say anything but Jack could see that he was shocked. "I already checked the device. I have no idea how to stop it. Tosh is on her way in."

"I should go and make coffee, then," Ianto answered, "and check on the residents and Myfanwy."

"Already done. The Weevils are used to temperatures like these. The Puks didn't make it. I found them dead in their cell. Myfanwy's fine. I set up one of the heating element in her nest."

Jack had found them in the archives. Heating elements were small, rectangular slabs with a smooth surface. They had been on vogue in the 32nd century; they could generate heat for a small area without needing to be plugged in. A few of them had fallen through the Rift in the late 90s and Jack assumed that they belonged to a cargo and had been sucked into the Rift during transport. He used them now and again to warm up his office or the bathroom. They came with an isolation unit: to use them, they had to be taken out of the box, as soon as the room had warmed up, they had to go back into the box or they would just continue heating up. They were one of the most fascinating things Torchwood had ever found, but then again, in Jack's opinion, the most wonderful things the Rift spat out weren't weapons or vehicles, but ordinary everyday devices.

He put his hands on his hips and watched Ianto making coffee with methodical precision. "I don't want to heat the main Hub, it would flood with all the ice in here, but I set one of them up in my office and the other one in the boardroom." Jack frowned. "Strange … I remember four boxes falling through the Rift, but now there are only three in the archives."

Ianto focused on his coffee maker. "I'm sure they'll turn up," he said. A painful sounding cough wracked his body.

Jack grimaced. "Are you okay?"

"I seem to have caught myself a cold," Ianto answered.

Jack realized that Ianto was still only wearing his suit and went to fetch the coat he'd promised him from his quarters. It was a thick white jacket he'd used on a trip to Antarctica back in the 60s. Jack was sure that it would still do some good. He watched Ianto put it on and smiled. The jacket was a bit too large on his slim frame. He looked rather cute.

Jack asked, "Warm enough?"

Ianto nodded and handed him a mug. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome," Jack said and stepped closer, wrapping an arm around Ianto's waist and kissing his cold cheek. The intimate gesture seemed to surprise Ianto, but he let Jack's nose nuzzle along his cheekbone, so Jack guessed that the hesitation had more to do with Ianto being shy than Ianto turning him down. Softly, he said, "You look deliciously adorable."

Ianto chuckled. "That's sexual harassment, sir."

"File a complaint against me," Jack suggested. He didn't quite know where he was standing with Ianto after the blowjob a few days ago. Ianto hadn't withdrawn, but he also hadn't offered a repeat. Jack didn't know what to make of that.

Ianto looked at him. "I don't think that's necessary."

Jack smiled, leaned forward and kissed him. Ianto answered the kiss immediately. Their tongues battled for dominance for a moment before Ianto gave in and let Jack control the kiss. Jack pushed Ianto against the counter, making the mugs on it rattle.

Ianto pulled his head back and put his hands on Jack's chest. "The others will be in soon." He met Jack's eyes hesitantly.

Jack put his hands on Ianto's waist and kissed his flushed cheek, nuzzling down to his lips. "Stay here tonight," he asked. He heard Ianto's breath hitch and framed his face with his hands, staring into Ianto's eyes. "I'd really like you to stay the night."

"I ..." Ianto seemed lost for words.

Jack nodded. He had lived through decades of Earth's sexual repression, so he'd learned to read the signals. Ianto's hesitant enthusiasm, his blushing, the way he avoided Jack's eyes … of course he knew that Ianto was inexperienced. The blowjob hadn't been bad, but it had been obvious that Ianto had never done anything like that before. The 21st century was still very quaint where sex was concerned, but ever so slowly evolving. Nevertheless, sometimes Jack felt frustrated by the social constraints this time put on people. It was so different from the time he came from. The 51st century saw sexual relationships as something wonderful, to be talked about … giving and receiving this kind of intimacy – however fleeting – was seen as a gift. And making new experiences was something to be embraced, not looked upon with guilt.

He said, "I know. We'll go slow. Just … stay."

Ianto closed his eyes … and nodded.

xxx

Jack was an unmovable presence behind Tosh who was bundled up in her winter coat and a scarf, trying to figure out how to shut off the globe on her desk. She wasn't very successful, because this time, not even an EM pulse was showing any kind of effect. The ice kept getting thicker and the Hub was slowly getting colder.

She could practically feel the impatience radiating off Jack and sighed deeply. "I'm doing what I can."

"Do it faster," Jack snapped. Then, "I'm sorry, Toshiko."

"It's okay," she answered. "You're just nervous because of that UNIT visit." She knew that he wanted to make a good impression. He spent half his time explaining how he didn't need UNIT, but at the end of the day, he knew that UNIT was bound to them and the other way around. The organizations were like siblings with a bad case of sibling rivalry paired with a need to impress each other.

Owen and Suzie's laughter rang through the main Hub. The both of them were busying themselves with making sure that the way to the boardroom and various main routes throughout the Hub weren't slippery. The last thing they needed was a UNIT officer with a broken leg.

Tosh gave a frustrated huff. "I have no idea what to do. There's no energy signature, no button, nothing. I tried to connect it with my computer but I don't know how."

"What about the movable parts on the surface?" Jack asked. "You said it's like a Rubik's cube."

"Yes, but I don't know if moving them will make it worse. I have a feeling that they serve to program the globe and since there are no signs on it, I can't even use my translator program."

"So, in other words, we're screwed," Jack clarified.

"Royally," Tosh answered.

Her comm link crackled and Ianto's voice came through it. _"Our visitors just arrived at the tourist office." _

Jack cursed softly. "Bring them down. Take your time, Ianto."

"_Very well, sir."_

Jack addressed Tosh, "UNIT just arrived to see if we're able to handle the pressure of becoming the Torchwood headquarters. They already think we're incompetent, so please make that glacier in our main Hub disappear – now!"

Tosh sighed and rolled her eyes. She decided not to tell Jack that she knew the stakes. He was riled up enough.

Owen on the other hand seemed to feel the need to correct Jack, "A glacier is actually ..." He trailed off and Tosh could imagine the glare Jack had sent him.

Tosh shook her head. "I can't do it, Jack. Not this fast. Not with what I know about the globe at the moment."

"Okay," Jack said and let out a deep sigh, "then let's make the best out of it."

Owen asked, "How? Are you going to tell them that we wanted to show off our Christmas decoration?"

Before Jack could answer, the cogwheel door rolled open and Ianto escorted their guests inside. One man and one woman wearing the green UNIT uniforms with the red barrettes. The man carrying a briefcase was Captain Stephen Nowak, their liaison with UNIT. Tosh had met him before. He was in his mid-thirties, but his boyish face framed by short-cut, ginger locks made him look much younger. The woman's name tag identified her as _Major C. Greenberg_. As far as Tosh knew, she was responsible for the final decision concerning Torchwood. She was a strict-looking, small woman with short, gray hair and piercing, brown eyes. Ianto had dutifully supplied both their guests with thick jackets from the Torchwood storage. Now he was standing just behind them while the entrance gate closed and the UNIT officers stared at the state of the Hub in disbelief.

Jack walked towards them and managed to give off an air of authority and calm that was in complete opposite to his nervousness from before. He skipped down the steps towards the door without slipping. Tosh already dreaded the moment she had to make her way down there to get to the spiral stairs leading up to the boardroom at the back of the main Hub.

Jack stopped in front of their visitors. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said. "I'm afraid we're facing some minor problems at the moment. My team is already working on it."

Greenberg pursed her lips. "'Minor' might be an understatement."

Nowak replied, "And yet not all that unusual when working with alien technology. We've experienced some of these problems over the years ourselves."

For just a second, Tosh wondered if Greenberg would disagree, but she just gave a sharp nod.

Jack shook Greenberg's hand and then Nowak's. "We prepared the boardroom. It's warm up there so I suggest that we start our meeting immediately with some of Mr. Jones' wonderful coffee."

"The whole team will be present," Greenberg said. It was a statement, not a request.

Jack nodded. "Of course."

"That includes your receptionist."

"He's our General Support Officer," Jack corrected her. "We wouldn't know what to do without him."

"He must be new here," Greenberg said, unimpressed. "Our files about Torchwood Three don't mention him in any way. If we could just proceed to the boardroom, if you please."

"Of course. Follow me."

xxx

Greenberg was sitting at the head of the table, sorting through files Nowak had handed her from the briefcase. "Our goal is to determine whether Torchwood Three can handle the pressure of becoming the Torchwood headquarters. That includes regular contact with UNIT, the royal family, the Prime Minister and other governmental organisations as well as the final decisions in Torchwood matters. Torchwood Two operative Archie MacIntyre already informed us that he wouldn't be able to handle that pressure. Your facility is the only one remaining. Should you – or we – decide that you're unable to cope, UNIT will take control over Torchwood as stated in our contract from 1983."

Owen leaned towards Suzie. "Oh God, kill me now. I'm so bored." Suzie gave him a disapproving glare. He sighed deeply and paid attention again.

"Here, I have the files of your team, Captain. I'll talk to you and all of them and I want to take a look at the base. Then I will decide."

Jack, sitting rigid and with a stony face at the other end of the table, replied, "With all due respect, I don't think that decision should be up to one UNIT officer alone."

"With all due respect," Greenberg answered, "I'm well able to be neutral. The 1983 contract between our institutes states that, should one organization lose its headquarters, the other will have the right to assess the situation. My decision is not final. I will file a report for the Prime Minister and the Queen. If I find your capabilities lacking, you will have the chance to speak up for yourself. The Queen and the Prime Minister will decide then. Fact is – and I think all of us are well aware of that –, this should have never happened. The complete destruction of Torchwood One was impossible."

Owen muttered, "Until it happened."

Greenberg gave him a stern glare. "I think it would be in all our best interests to start with some interviews now."

Jack nodded. "Fine."

"Well, then, Captain Harkness and Miss Sato," Greenberg said, "would you like to start?"

xxx

"How is you arrangement with Miss Sato working out, Captain?" Greenberg asked.

Jack leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Wonderful. She's been a big help to me and I wouldn't know what to do without her."

"You said the same about Mr. Jones."

"Well," Jack answered, "that's how I feel about my team. I need all of them." He smiled encouragingly at Tosh, who was sitting next to him with her hands folded in her lap and staring at the table.

Greenberg raised her eyebrows. "I see. Miss Sato," she addressed Tosh, "how do you feel about working here?"

Tosh looked up at her hesitantly. "Good," she answered. "Really good."

"Really?" Greenberg said and nodded thoughtfully. "It's not exactly what UNIT expected out of this arrangement."

Tosh ducked her head and Jack leaned forwards. "What did you expect out of this arrangement then? That I'd chain her to her desk?"

"She was a prisoner, Captain, with good reason. But looking at your track record, it's no wonder you're a bit soft on her."

"Well, I don't think that she would work as well with me as she does now if I'd keep torturing her like UNIT did."

Nowak gave Jack a warning glare.

Greenberg pursed her lips. "We don't sanction torture."

"That's a lie and you know it," Jack answered. "Besides … this isn't an arrangement between Torchwood and UNIT anymore. You signed over all custody rights to me and I treat Toshiko as I see fit."

"That much is obvious, Captain," Greenberg answered. "Just know that if I had been in charge, a treaty like that would have never been signed."

For a moment, silence hung over the four of them.

Then Jack crossed his arms. "Would that be all?"

"No," Greenberg said. "You took over command after the former Torchwood leader shot the whole team, is that right?"

"Yes," Jack answered, wondering where she was going with this.

"Thus, you weren't elected or assigned. Would you say that you are the right person to do this job?"

"Alex assigned me."

"Before shooting himself," Greenberg said. "He wasn't exactly thinking clearly."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You're a man of action, Captain. I have no doubt that you're an excellent field agent and that you are a good team leader. But being headquarters is about much more than leading a team. You would be in charge of everything concerning Torchwood, be it your branch or Torchwood Two or any other Torchwood branches that will maybe be formed in the future. Do you think you can handle that much paperwork, Captain?"

"Yes," Jack answered immediately. He knew that Greenberg would pick up on any hesitation on his part, so he wanted to be determined. Besides, he thought that he would be able to do this job after getting used to it, and he still had Ianto, who was excellent with paperwork, as a support.

"Miss Sato," Greenberg said, "would you describe this branch as fit for taking charge over Torchwood?"

Tosh shot Jack a glance and then answered, "Yes."

"Your team consists of four agents. Isn't that a bit too much of a burden for you?"

"I don't think so. We work well together."

"And Captain Harkness is in charge?"

"Absolutely," Tosh answered. "He's a good leader. None of us doubts his authority."

"He severed all ties with Torchwood One," Greenberg said.

Tosh swallowed and seemed to think about her answer for a moment, then she said, "Miss Hartmann and Jack weren't seeing eye to eye when the ghost shifts started. Jack told them to be careful with this kind of thing, but Miss Hartmann didn't want to stop the tests."

"So Captain Harkness severed all ties?" Greenberg asked.

"Yes."

Jack interrupted angrily, "And I would do it again. What they did was too dangerous. They risked the whole world just for their own curiosity."

Greenberg looked at him for a long moment, then, to his surprise, she said, "You're right. They did."


	11. Chapter 11

**4.**

"So?" Owen asked when Suzie left the boardroom after her interview an hour later and joined him at his desk. "What did they want?"

"They asked a lot of questions about Jack. About if I trust him." Suzie glowered up at the clear windows behind which Greenberg and Nowak were making notes and probably discussing her interview. "I think they want to get rid of him."

"Would that be so bad?" Owen asked.

Suzie's eyes widened and she looked around to see if anyone had heard Owen's words. Tosh seemed engrossed in the globe and Ianto and Jack were too far away in the kitchen niche on the other side of the cavernous main Hub, talking softly about something. She glared at Owen. "You can't be serious! Owen, Jack's brilliant."

Owen crossed his arms and lounged back in his chair, staring up at her. "Not always, he isn't."

"He's not perfect, but he's doing the best he can," Suzie said. "Look at me and tell me that you could do his job better than he can."

"Calm down," Owen said and raised his hands in defense. "I'm not going to stab him into the back or anything like that. I just think that, sometimes, his judgment is a bit screwed. Like ..." He watched Ianto and Jack. "... when he hired the newbie. Why would someone with a traumatizing, Torchwood related issue want to work for Torchwood again anyway?"

"To work off his grief, maybe," Suzie answered. "Ask Ianto if you want to know. I don't even care anymore why Jack hired him. Face it, Owen, he makes this place that bit more efficient and work's a lot easier with him around." With that, she turned away and headed for her desk.

Owen rolled his eyes and called after her, "Great! Now, everyone's joined the fanclub."

xxx

The warmth of the heating element sitting next to the conversion unit barely registered with Ianto. He hadn't been able to shake off the slight chill that had befallen him in the morning and kept himself tightly zipped up in the coat Jack had given him. He stifled a cough with the back of his hand and then smiled at Lisa. "The pain meds are working?"

"Yes. Everything's okay. You should leave before UNIT suspects something."

"UNIT's busy interviewing Owen," Ianto answered. He coughed again.

"Are you okay?" Lisa asked. "You seem a bit pale."

"You know me – I'm always pale," Ianto answered. He became serious and swallowed against a lump of guilt forming in his throat. "I'll be in late tonight. The Captain … wants me to help him look over some papers."

Lisa's eyes dulled in disappointment. "Oh. Alright."

Ianto felt awful about lying to her. He couldn't even quite say why he'd accepted Jack's proposal, but he'd panicked and he hadn't wanted Jack to become suspicious in any way. Also, Jack's nightly wanderings through the base were becoming a regular occurrence and distracting Jack with kisses and more would ensure that he stopped that. Ianto had promised Lisa that he would do everything he could to protect her. He'd never broken a promise before.

xxx

When Ianto returned to the main Hub, Jack was staring up through the windows of the boardroom, watching the interview with Owen. Ianto silently stopped next to him before announcing his presence with a soft question. "What do you think will they say?"

Jack spared him a gentle smile. "I think we're not doing so bad, all things considered. It could be worse."

Ianto glanced at Tosh and Suzie, who were working on the globe at Tosh's desk, discussing it animatedly. "No progress concerning the globe, I assume?"

"No," Jack answered. "At least it doesn't spread outside this base. I would hate to be responsible for the new ice age."

Ianto chuckled. "Well, technically, it would be Owen who'd be responsible."

"True," Jack answered with a grin. It turned wicked and he looked at Ianto, asking softly, "So, are we still in for this night?"

Ianto froze. Then he said hurriedly, "Sure." He forced a smile. "Looking forward to it, sir."

Jack winked at him. "Oh, yeah. Me too, Ianto … me too." With that, he turned away and went to his office.

Ianto hurried to the kitchen niche and busied himself with therapeutic coffee making. A coughing fit surprised him out of nowhere. It was only when he was able to stand upright again that he noticed Tosh's hand on his back.

With a worried look, she said, "That sounded nasty."

"It's just a cold," Ianto answered and tried a reassuring smile.

Tosh didn't seem convinced. "You should have Owen take a look."

"No, really. I'm okay."

Tosh looked dubious, but just when she seemed to have decided to prod some more, the boardroom door opened and Greenberg announced that she wanted to see the Hub now.

xxx

As expected, Greenberg and Nowak were shocked at the sight of the archives. Ianto was a bit miffed about that, since he'd spent hours organizing it at least a bit. Jack's hurried reassurances that they would catch up with filing and the mention of Ianto and Tosh's idea to link the photograph archives and the digitalized files together seemed to calm them down, though. The rest of the tour was smooth sailing and soon, Greenberg and Nowak were headed back to heir hotel. Owen and Suzie took that as their sign to go home as well and Jack pried Tosh away from her computer and talked her into having a nice bath and a glass of wine at home. Soon, the cogwheel door slid shut behind Tosh and Ianto and Jack were alone.

Ianto made a point of being in Jack's office first and pouring them both a glass of scotch, hoping to delay the inevitable. The heating element in Jack's office did nothing to soothe him, since he couldn't hide behind the thick jacket anymore. Ianto felt exposed without it even though he knew that was ridiculous since he was still wearing his suit.

Jack leaned against his desk and raised his glass. "So," he said, "to what do you want to drink?"

Ianto tightened his grip around his glass. "Is a toast really necessary?"

"No, but it would be nice."

"Okay," Ianto said and raised his glass as well. "To Torchwood." He clinked his glass against Jack's.

Jack laughed. "I think you can do better than that." He took a sip and then grinned. "But let's work on that another time." He stepped closer. Ianto busied himself with taking a healthy swallow, suppressing the cough that tickled his throat. As soon as he lowered the glass, Jack leaned forwards and pressed their lips together. Ianto felt his heart skip a beat. Jack put his glass down and wound his arms around Ianto, pulling him in, closer, closer still, until Ianto could feel Jack's warmth embracing him and his erection through several layers of cloth. Jack's tongue forced its way into Ianto's mouth. He tasted of scotch and, faintly, coffee. Jack's hands framed Ianto's face, his thumbs stroking his cheeks, and then took the glass from Ianto's hand and put it on the desk next to Jack's. He looked into Ianto's eyes for a moment, then he kissed him again and Ianto, deciding that he needed to be more active, responded and … oh my God, they were going to have sex!

Ianto pulled away but Jack's hands kept him close, steadying him. "It's alright," he said softly. "Breathe."

Ianto did just that for a few seconds, then Jack kissed his cheek, his lips, his jaw, before licking and sucking on his neck. Ianto gasped, feeling his cock harden, and unbidden, images of Lisa filled his head. Of her finding this very spot on his body that would bring him to his knees.

But he couldn't think of her now. Not with Jack unzipping his trousers and untucking his shirt. Large hands on hot skin and then, suddenly, they were gone. Ianto opened his eyes to see Jack grinning at him and opening a hatch in the floor. "Come on," Jack said. He winked at Ianto and climbed down into the hole. Curiously, Ianto followed him and found himself in a bunker – a camp bed, a bedside table and a closet. Nothing more than temporary quarters.

"You live here?" Ianto asked.

Jack nodded.

Ianto was stumped. "But … don't you have a flat somewhere?"

Jack shook his head with a sad smile. "This is my home at the moment." He sat on the narrow bed and leaned back against the wall, opening his trousers. Ianto stared at him. Jack didn't react, he just looked back, a smile on his face. And Ianto realized that Jack was giving him a chance to back out. He could have done it, but then Jack would roam the base at night and it would only be a matter of time before he peeked into the room Lisa was in …

Ianto ignored the guilty part of his subconscious that kept insisting he wasn't doing this for Lisa. After all, Jack's scent hung heavy in the air – a strange mix of spices and wood and leather, exotic and wonderful – and Jack looked gorgeous with his dark hair, bright eyes and sun-kissed skin and Ianto … he was lost and not feeling well and maybe, just maybe, this was what he needed. He stepped up to the bed and straddled Jack's lap, leaning in to kiss him, but Jack stopped him. "Just to be clear … not a requirement."

"I know," Ianto whispered. He sealed Jack's lips with his own. Jack's hand slid into his trousers and Ianto startled but he just kept kissing Jack. Jack's hand closed around his cock and Ianto gasped into Jack's mouth.

Jack chuckled. "Let me return the favor," he said and before Ianto could ask what he was talking about, Jack had turned them around and spread Ianto out on his small bed and he was unbuttoning Ianto's shirt while kissing his way down Ianto's chest. And then, suddenly, Ianto's trousers and pants were pulled down to his knees and Jack was going down on him. Ianto bit his lip to suppress a scream and shook his head. This shouldn't feel good. It shouldn't. He squeezed his eyes shut and one of his trembling hands found its way into Jack's hair. But it did!

He could feel his orgasm building, just beneath his stomach. He gasped into the cool air of the room, closing his eyes as tight as possible and curling one hand into Jack's pillow. And then, the mouth was gone and Ianto's eyes opened in disbelief to look at Jack, who was looming above him with a wicked smile. It was then that Ianto realized with a start that his trousers and pants were gone, just like Jack's, and one of Jack's hands was _down there_, slippery and eager.

"No!" he gasped and turned away. "Stop!"

Jack pulled away. Silence fell, just interrupted by Ianto's heavy breaths. Ianto squeezed his eyes shut once more, not wanting to see anything, least of all Jack's face. He was surprised when a featherlight kiss was planted on his temple. "Sh," Jack said. And then again, "Sh." Jack's lubed fingers found one of Ianto's hands and entwined. "Role reversal?" Jack asked.

Ianto didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded.

"Look at me," Jack whispered and Ianto did. Jack's face was open and honest and smiling gently. "Okay?" Jack asked.

Ianto was still hard, still wanting Jack badly, wanting the contact and the friction and the warmth … and feeling like a cheater for it. But there was no denying that he wanted it and he couldn't go back now. He couldn't … he wouldn't … he didn't want to. "Okay," he said. Jack guided Ianto's hand back to his arse and Ianto bit his lip, not quite sure what to expect.

"It's easy enough," Jack said. Ianto realized that they were both still wearing their shirts, unbuttoned and messy. Jack's undershirt peeked out between the blue cloth. But beneath the waist, they were naked. Somehow, that struck Ianto as surreal and funny. They were an office affair. The boss screwing the secretary on the copier. Or the other way around, because Jack was showing him how to open him up, pupils blown and cock rubbing against Ianto's thigh. Jack was tight. Ianto was a bit worried that he would never fit _in there_. Jack made him add a finger, showed him how to scissor and kissed him gently, his tongue playing with Ianto's, re-igniting the fire that had faded with the shock. "Sit up for me," Jack said softly and Ianto obeyed. Jack hooked his legs around Ianto's waist and then he kissed him, while sliding down on Ianto's cock. Ianto moaned. Jack gasped, "Yes." One of his hands tangled in Ianto's hair, making a fist and tugging him closer. Ianto put his hands around Jack's waist. The position as a bit uncomfortable, until Jack raised himself up and Ianto could reposition his legs to kneel. Jack rocked his hips and Ianto's fingernails dug into Jack's back. It felt different, new, incredible. Ianto looked at Jack and saw him smile teasingly at him. He smiled back and pushed Jack off him and then down onto the bed before entering him again, this time with Jack's legs wrapped around his waist. This was even better. Ianto thrust. Jack moaned. Ianto thrust again, building a steady rhythm.

Soon, Jack's hand guided one of Ianto's down to his cock, entwining around it to jerk him off in time with Ianto's thrusts, becoming faster. Ianto panted against Jack's lips, feeling Jack strain against him, his erratic breath loud in Ianto's ears. The slowly building orgasm was back, uncoiling and sweeping Ianto away. He cried out and felt Jack coming, too, and then everything went black for a moment, until Ianto found himself lying on Jack's chest, trying to regain his equilibrium. Jack's hands trailed idly up and down his back, still sticky with come and lube and Ianto knew that he should be complaining about that, but he couldn't bring himself to. Instead, he let Jack take control of everything, let him turn them around and undress Ianto completely before vanishing for a short time and cleaning them off with a warm washcloth. Jack climbed back into the bed and pulled the somewhat messy covers over the both of them. It came as a surprise when Jack's arms wrapped around Ianto, cradling him to Jack like something long-lost and found. Like he used to hold Lisa before …

Ianto didn't remember falling asleep, but he remembered that he cried silently for at least half an hour before the darkness claimed him.

xxx

Ianto convinced himself that only the warmth of the blanket was keeping him in Jack's bed when they awoke a few hours later. Then, it was the lethargy induced by the second mind-blowing orgasm of the night. A look at Jack's watch on the nightstand, though, reminded Ianto now that he would have to leave soon to return to Lisa's room. It was almost two in the morning. Looking for an opportunity, he asked, "Why do you live here?"

Jack shrugged and kissed Ianto's collarbone. It felt intimate, being here with Jack, almost cozy and normal. Like a break from the routine. Jack answered, "I have nowhere else to be."

"I bet it gets lonely here at night," Ianto said, looking for a way to find out what Jack was looking for in the basement after everyone else was gone. Maybe he could help him find it … stop him from looking for it without having to resort to this sort of distraction. He stamped the guilt down. There was no place for guilt here. Jack would notice.

"Sometimes," Jack answered.

"So, what are you doing to kill the time? Still looking for Yvonne?"

"Not just Yvonne," Jack said, his gaze becoming far-away. Ianto raised a hand to brush it through Jack's hair. Jack was affectionate, so Ianto should try to be the same. It turned out to be easy, though, with just the two of them present. "I lost someone down here … some time ago," Jack said. "Some nights, I can't stop looking for him." He sighed and pasted on a smile. "So, Mr. Jones, what are we going to do now?"

Ianto sighed. "I'll go home." Jack pouted and Ianto laughed. "I have to sleep sometime."

"You can sleep here."

"I have to get home. I don't have a spare suit here."

"You should stash one in the lockers."

"I'll think about it." Ianto got up and got dressed hurriedly, grimacing since his shirt was still a bit clammy from their first round. He let his tie hang loose around his neck.

Jack grabbed it to pull him close. "Let's do this again sometime." He kissed Ianto and then curled up, apparently ready to go to sleep.

Ianto climbed out of the room and into Jack's office. He felt a cough crawling up his throat, suppressed ever since he'd met Jack in his office, and hurried towards Lisa's room, trying to get rid of it by clearing his throat. It wouldn't go away and Ianto was surprised when it hit. He had to stop and lean against the wall, gasping for air.

When it was over, he felt winded. He brushed a hand over his forehead and found it damp with sweat. "Just a cold," he muttered, swallowing thickly. "Just a cold." He straightened his shirt and tie and put on his jacket before entering Lisa's room. It was comfortably warm in here and Ianto packed away the heating element. He put it on the table next to the conversion unit, within Lisa's reach, wanting her to control the temperature.

Lisa shifted restlessly and woke up, blinking at him blearily. "Where have you been?"

"I told you – working." He bent down and kissed her, then hurriedly straightened and checked her IVs, afraid she might smell Jack on him.

"You were gone for an awfully long time."

He got undressed again, hurriedly pulled on his tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt and wrapped himself in his sleeping bag. He turned off the lamp. Now, just the blue-ish lights of the conversion unit were illuminating the room. Ianto cleared his throat. "I love you," he said, needing to say it.

Her answer was soft, sleepy, "I know."

He wiped his damp cheeks and turned his back to her, hiding his sob behind a cough.


	12. Chapter 12

**5.**

Greenberg and Nowak arrived early in the morning and set their things up in the boardroom. Then they called Jack in and asked Ianto for some coffee. Ianto made a cup for everyone including the team and served Owen, Tosh and Suzie before climbing the stairs with the last three mugs on his tray.

When he entered the boardroom, Greenberg wasn't there and Nowak was talking with Jack. "There are only a few last questions we want to ask before we leave. But the preliminary report is positive. So don't worry about it, Jack. You know I trust your team."

"What about Greenberg?" Jack asked.

Ianto set the mugs down.

Nowak answered, "You know how it is. Dogs that bark don't bite. She's really fair, Jack. You could have done worse."

Ianto was at the door when Greenberg returned from the bathroom. He held open the door for her and she gave him an appreciative smile. He was just on his way out, when she said, "Mr. Jones … actually, would you mind staying for a minute?"

Unsure, Ianto looked at Jack, who crossed his arms defensively. Jack raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"I have a few questions to ask," Greenberg answered. Nowak settled in the chair next to her and started the tape. Jack's eyes narrowed, but he signaled Ianto to sit down next to him. Nervously, Ianto sat and cleared his throat to stifle a cough. Greenberg said, "Starting the interview with Mr. Ianto Jones, Torchwood Three's General Support Officer, and Torchwood Three leader Captain Jack Harkness. Present are Mr. Ianto Jones, Captain Jack Harkness, Major Clarice Greenberg and Captain Stephen Nowak." She opened Ianto's file and glanced at it before closing it again and folding her hands on top of it. She gave a pleasant smile in Ianto's direction and then turned to Jack. "Well, Captain Harkness, let's make this as short and painless as possible."

Jack nodded.

Greenberg looked at him attentively, "So, tell me, Captain, are you aware that you're employing a wanted fugitive?"

xxx

Owen tightened the scarf around his neck, leaned on Tosh's desk and asked, "You still haven't found a way to shut this thing off?"

Tosh sighed audibly and her breath formed a visible cloud in front of her face. "You would have noticed if I did."

"Maybe I should just push it off the desk again."

Tosh glared at him.

Suzie looked up from her gauntlet project. "Wait a minute," she said.

"What?" Owen asked.

Suzie's eyes widened and she joined them at Tosh's desk, pushing Owen aside to get closer to the device. "Something's been bothering me about this since yesterday, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what."

"Maybe the fact that it turned the Hub into a glacier?" Owen suggested.

Suzie shushed him, before turning back to Tosh, "There's no energy signature, right?"

"Right," Tosh answered.

"No sign that this thing is even working?"

Tosh nodded.

Suzie concluded, "But we're seeing the effects."

"Yes," Tosh said, playing along as she always did when she and Suzie got in that mood. Owen always felt a bit excluded when they started talking technology. He would never admit to that, though.

"And apparently it switched on when it fell."

Tosh nodded.

Suzie grinned. "Oh, this is good. This is really good." With that she hurried into Jack's office.

Owen sighed. "Are we supposed to follow her?"

xxx

Jack looked at Ianto who had become very, very still. Then he glared at Greenberg. "Wanted fugitive?" he asked. "Wanted for what?"

"He's not wanted _for_ anything," Greenberg said and Ianto's shoulders seemed to sag a bit in relief, "he is just a wanted fugitive. We didn't have a file on him when we arrived yesterday since we didn't know he would be here. I got his file this morning. Mr. Jones, is it true that you worked for Torchwood One?"

Ianto looked at Greenberg. "Yes."

"Were you aware that there were protocols in place on how to deal with survivors?"

"Deal?" Jack echoed and leaned forwards on the table. "Those survivors are people who did nothing wrong. How would UNIT _deal_ with that exactly?"

"Online counseling was provided to see if the use of Retcon was better for the patients' state of mind. Mr. Jones logged out of his counseling session before it was over and he was never seen again. That makes him a wanted fugitive." Ianto ducked his head. Greenberg went on, "I'd say he's not coping and suggest the use of Retcon."

Ianto's head snapped up. "No-"

Jack raised a hand in front of Ianto's face and stood up, staring at Greenberg. "Wait a minute. He is working for me. I asked him to come here and work for me." He saw Ianto look at him from the corner of his eye and straightened his shoulders. It had been a while since he'd told such a blatant lie. "I wasn't aware that you were looking for him," Jack said, "or I would have notified you. But not to retcon him. He's coping. He doesn't need Retcon."

Greenberg shook her head. "Captain, you can't expect me to believe-"

"I went through the ruins of Torchwood One," Jack said, admitting to something he never wanted to tell her or anyone else from UNIT. "Before UNIT arrived."

Nowak stared at him, aghast.

Greenberg's eyes narrowed. "Are you telling me that you stole technology from the tower?"

"I took technology that belongs to us," Jack answered. "To Torchwood."

It had been mainly Owen and Suzie who had gone through the rubble and the skeleton of the building while Tosh had examined a conversion unit and Jack had stayed with her in case one of the Cybermen was still around, but UNIT didn't have to know that. He wouldn't bring the names of his team into this supposed theft. "I found Ianto and we talked while I helped him to one of the ambulances. I learned that he's an archivist and thought we could need him here."

Greenberg looked highly skeptical. "That doesn't explain why he abandoned the online counseling."

Ianto cleared his throat. "I didn't feel comfortable with it."

Jack nodded at him. "Fact is, he never ran away. He just took the job I offered him. He didn't notify you and that was wrong, but he's not a fugitive."

xxx

"Look at this," Suzie said, holding up the heating element she'd retrieved from Jack's office for Tosh and Owen to see.

Owen's eyes widened. "I don't believe it."

"Right?" Suzie answered, her excitement rising.

Owen crossed his arms. "He gets to work in his warm office, but we have to freeze to death out here in the main Hub?"

Suzie rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant," she said. She looked at Tosh. She could always count on Tosh. "These heating elements don't give off energy readings, electrical waves or anything else along those lines."

Tosh nodded, playing along. "Because it's not a device per se. It doesn't generate heat like a radiator, it uses heat that's already there, like from light bulbs or anything along those lines, and enhances it."

Suzie looked at Owen. "It's the metal it's made of. You see, it's something that doesn't exist on Earth and it's able to enhance heat."

Owen leaned against Tosh's desk and blew into his hands to warm them. "Yes, I listened the first time you went on about that half a year ago. Wonderful alien metal, could be the future of heating and so on. Get to the point."

"We packed these things away into their isolation units to store them because you can't shut them off like a normal device. They just keep generating heat. Jack assumes that they're used for heating private homes and such."

"Still not seeing the point," Owen said.

Suzie sighed. "The globe." Owen turned around to it and Suzie stood next to him. "It doesn't generate cold, it just saps all existing heat from its surroundings. It's the same as with the heating elements, just … a different kind of metal maybe that doesn't enhance heat but takes it away?"

The last words had been spoken in Toshs direction, who immediately turned to her computer. "I'm sure the metal the heating elements are made from was examined back then and I analyzed the material the globe is made from … wow! Almost the same with only a small difference in the make-up."

"Artificially caused?" Suzie asked.

"Maybe," Tosh answered.

Owen sighed impatiently. "So what? We got tricked by a heating element gone bad?"

Suzie brushed a gloved hand over the globe. She could feel the icy cold surface even through the layers protecting her hand. "I guess it was used to cool rooms down. Imagine how much electricity we could save by using these for freezers and such."

"Wait a minute," Owen said. "Are you saying we got tricked by a refrigerator?"

Suzie shrugged. "You could put it that way."

Tosh was busy looking at the movable parts on the globe. "Then these," she said, "are settings."

"I guess," Suzie answered. She looked at the heating element. "This doesn't have anything like that, but then again, it's not as manufactured as the globe."

Owen said, "Well, we should save the day and pack that globe away. I'll get an isolation box." He headed for the archives, but then he stopped and turned back around to them. "So it wasn't me who caused this." Suzie and Tosh sighed in exasperation and turned away from him. Suzie heard Owen mutter "Just saying".

xxx

A few hours and another tour later, Greenberg said, "Well ..." She was standing outside the tourist office with Jack and Nowak, ready to leave. "It was insightful."

Jack raised one eyebrow, not quite knowing if that was a good thing.

Greenberg's face remained impassive. "I will hand my report in to the Prime Minister and the Queen. It's up to them to make the final decision then. Goodbye, Captain." With that, she turned away and headed for the Roald Dahl Plass. Jack looked at Nowak, who gave him a thumbs-up and hurried after Greenberg.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

When he returned to the main Hub, he was glad to see that the water on the sculpture was slowly starting to unfreeze. There were puddles everywhere and the air was colder and damper than usual, but he guessed that would be over tomorrow. Tosh, Owen and Suzie were gathering up their things. When Owen saw him, he asked, "Hey, Jack, fancy a pint?"

Jack shook his head. "Not tonight."

Owen shrugged and hurried to the cogwheel door, almost bumping into Ianto who was busy mopping up the puddles. Tosh and Suzie followed him out.

Jack sank onto the couch and sighed deeply. He heard Ianto coughing and turned his head to look at him. "That cold isn't getting better?"

"It's been just a few days, sir. Give it some time," Ianto answered.

Jack nodded. For a while, they existed in companionable silence, Ianto mopping up melted ice and Jack letting go of the tension of the last few days.

Suddenly, Ianto said, "It wasn't necessary to lie for me, sir."

Jack crossed his arms and looked at him. "I know."

"Why did you do it then?"

Jack grinned. "I got used to your coffee and filing and I'll need more of that if we're becoming Torchwood headquarters."

Ianto nodded solemnly. "Of course, sir."

Jack got up from the couch and sauntered over to him. "I can't help wanting you around," he said with a grin and stopped just behind Ianto, close enough for his chest to brush against Ianto's back.

Ianto froze.

Jack lowered his voice. "Day and night." His hands settled on Ianto's waist and he planted a kiss on the back of Ianto's neck.

Ianto coughed again, and he didn't stop this time. Jack became worried when Ianto couldn't seem to breathe properly and put an arm around his waist in support. When Ianto finally got himself under control, he was sweaty and swallowed thickly.

Jack frowned in worry. "Owen should have a look at you."

"Not necessary," Ianto answered. "It's just a bad cold."

Jack rubbed Ianto's back when he coughed again, shorter this time and not as extensive, but still badly. "Alright. Then get home and into bed. Sleep."

"Sir, the ice-"

"I'll take care of it," Jack answered, "or you can do it tomorrow, just … take a break."

Ianto seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he nodded slowly. "Alright."

Jack took the mop from him and smiled. "Good." He watched Ianto leave through the cogwheel door and sighed deeply, looking around at the mess the main Hub had become. He shook his head and decided to deal with it later. First, he would take a long hot shower.

xxx

It took a while for Ianto to return the heating element from Lisa's room to the archives and a while longer until he'd checked on her, read to her for a bit and made sure that she was asleep. He finally went to bed after midnight, his alarm clock programmed to wake him at 5am. His sleep was fitful, disturbed by nightmares and a slight fever.

He turned up for work at half past six and mopped up the rest of the puddles, fed the Weevils and Myfanwy and got some breakfast for Jack before the others arrived.

Business as usual.

xxx

Suzie didn't quite know how it had happened. One minute, she'd been looking at the gauntlet she'd brought home with her last night, drinking coffee and chewing on cold toast, the next, she'd put it on and was touching a dead fly lying on her kitchen table … and the fly came back to life. Suzie stared at it while it seemed to get its bearings and then flew up. Before she could fully comprehend how this was possible, the fly fell out of the air, dead yet again. Suzie touched it again, but the glove didn't work anymore.

Or maybe … she killed another fly that had slipped into her flat and touched it with the glove. It came back to life … just to die again a few seconds later. Suzie smiled. It worked only once, apparently, but it worked. She had to tell Jack.

No, she needed to gauge the gauntlet's full potential before she told anyone. She looked at it, the metal gleaming in the early morning sunlight streaming through the window. Suzie stared at the glove and it seemed to vibrate around her hand, tightening a bit, as if claiming her for itself.

She smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 3 – Coma**

**Prologue**

Miranda Thompson breathed in the cold night air of Bute Park and let it out with a deep sigh. Her mobile beeped, notifying her of yet another text message. She pulled it out of her pocket and read it.

_Where are you? I'm worried. We can work through this, but I need you here. ILU_

Miranda put the mobile back into her pocket and sniffed. Unbidden tears were trailing down her cheeks and she wiped them away angrily. Crying would help nobody, least of all her. She sank onto one of the banks framing the playground and stared at the swings, the merry-go-round and the slide, imagining children playing there, laughing, running around.

Miranda closed her eyes against a new onslaught of tears … and didn't open them again.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: I updated two chapters today. Please make sure you read the one before this one. **

**1.**

Owen stretched and yawned widely, wrapping his duvet around his body and settling down for a very late night, spent and satisfied. Suzie left the bathroom – fully dressed. Owen raised one eyebrow. "And where are you off to at this time of night?"

Suzie gifted him with a tiny smile, slightly distracted just like she had been the whole evening. Owen would have been offended if they had been a couple, but he knew that Suzie was married to her work and he was just some fun on the side. He accepted that since the last thing he wanted at the moment was a relationship. The loss of Katie was still too recent.

Suzie checked her appearance in the mirror, enabling Owen to stare at her slim figure in the light of his bedside table lamp. "I want to work on the glove some more."

"That's really becoming an obsession for you."

"Because it's fascinating," Suzie answered. "Last week, I put it on and touched a dead fly. Just to see what would happen, mind you. And guess what."

Owen shrugged.

Suzie turned around to him, her hands busy tying back her hair. "It resurrected."

"Maybe it wasn't dead to begin with."

"It was."

"What, did you check its respiration?" Owen asked with a grin.

Suzie rolled her eyes. "That fly was dead," she insisted. "The glove brought it back to life. Maybe it'll work on humans, too."

"Yeah," Owen sighed, "but we won't find out. Jack will never agree to awaking the dead."

"You think?" Suzie asked with a smirk. "He was impressed enough when I told him about it." She winked at him and left the bedroom.

"Should I tell him that you're taking the glove back home with you without permission?"

"Please do," Suzie answered, peeking her head back into the room, "then I'll tell him about that neat little aphrodisiac you have stowed away in your bathroom cabinet."

Owen sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well played, Costello."

Suzie laughed and left.

xxx

Ianto coughed, leaning forwards on his camp bed and bracing his elbows on his knees.

"Ianto," Lisa said, trying to turn around to him. He tried to take deep breath, but that just made the coughing start anew. He sank back onto the camp bed and stifled the coughs against his pillow. Tears were gathering in his eyes and his face was damp with sweat. Finally, the coughing subsided and Ianto just lay on the bed, winded. Lisa said, "You're sick."

Ianto swallowed thickly, grimacing against a bitter aftertaste, and answered, "It's just a cold."

"You should go see Dr. Harper."

"I'm fine."

"You're no use to me sick, Ianto," Lisa snapped. She'd become increasingly irritated over the last week. Ianto had to find a solution and fast. He'd thought about bringing an expert in who he knew about from Torchwood One. Dr. Tanizaki had been very busy after the battle, writing all kinds of memos for Torchwood and UNIT on the cybertechnology. Ianto had read them all. He would be the perfect candidate, but Ianto didn't know if he could trust him.

Slowly, he got up and straightened his suit. "I'm sorry," he said softly and touched her hand. He didn't dare to come closer, fearing he would give her whatever he had managed to catch. "See you later."

Lisa nodded and Ianto left.

The way up to the Hub was tiring him out. By the time he'd reached the main Hub, he was ready to crawl back into bed. Panting slightly from the exertion and trying to stifle his coughs, he headed for the coffee maker.

"Ianto!"

He startled and whirled around to Jack. "Sir … I didn't expect you to be up already."

"Already?" Jack echoed. "It's almost eight, you always come in at seven. I was worried."

"Right," Ianto muttered. "Sorry, I … overslept." He turned away and busied himself with the coffee maker.

Jack came closer and put a hand on Ianto's shoulder. "Don't take offense, but … you don't look too hot."

Ianto laughed softly. "You never said that to me before."

Jack smiled and his thumb brushed over Ianto's cheek. "Owen should check you over."

"It's just a cold," Ianto said and coughed.

"One that's lasted long enough and gets worse every day. It's been two weeks, Ianto. The Hub turning into Antarctica can't have been good for your health."

_'That,'_ Ianto thought, _'and sleeping in cold, damp rooms in the basement.'_

"Owen will have a look," Jack said, determined. "As soon as possible. Understood?"

"Understood," Ianto answered.

Jack smiled. "So, how about some coffee now?" he asked.

xxx

The morning seemed to drag by in slow-motion and Jack didn't leave his office once. He answered a heap of e-mails and did another heap of paperwork, all the while silently cursing himself for wanting to become the Torchwood headquarters. He had to do twice as much paperwork as before and he had to deal with at least three times as many annoying calls. He barely noticed the team filing in and he didn't read the new report on the glove Suzie handed him sometime between his second and third coffee. He just kept on filling out paperwork, wishing for an emergency to rear its ugly head.

Then, as if answering his prayer, Owen burst into his office. "Jack, this is important!"

That made him look up. "What is it? Ianto?"

"Ianto?" Owen echoed, confused. "No, I'm talking about comas."

"Comas?"

"In Cardiff," Owen answered and plopped into one of the chairs Jack provided for visitors. "In the last three days, three different people with no apparent connection at all just collapsed in Bute Park and didn't wake up again."

Jack perked up. "That sounds hinky."

"That sounds like something Torchwood should look into," Owen agreed.

"Okay," Jack said, "what have you got?"

"Sophie Booth, Ian Hadings and, last night, Miranda Thompson. All of them were physically fine, decided to walk through Bute Park and never returned. They were found unconscious, in a deep coma. There's no medical reason for their condition."

Jack leaned back in his chair. "I assume you want to go to the hospital and check on them."

"Yes," Owen answered.

"Alright," Jack said, "I'm coming with you."

"You?" Owen asked, surprised.

"I have to get out of here for a while."

Owen grinned. "Being the boss is that tiring?"

"No, not tiring at all," Jack answered, got up and slipped into his coat, "just boring as hell."

xxx

Aaron Thompson was a short, thin man in his mid-thirties. His blonde hair had already started to thin and his blue eyes peered at Jack and Owen while he was sitting at the bedside of his wife Miranda, holding a plastic cup filled with tasteless hospital tea and looking utterly miserable. Jack knew that Owen probably wondered what a gorgeous woman like Miranda saw in a guy like Aaron, but he didn't wonder at all. Every human had something unique that made them beautiful. One just had to find it. Jack had had lots of practice, so he immediately took notice of Aaron's fine features, the way his chin was perfectly formed and his cheekbones stood out. Owen cleared his throat and gave Jack a warning glare. Jack rolled his eyes. As if he would flirt with Aaron in a situation like this …

Aaron looked at the both of them in turn. "I don't understand," he said while Owen examined Miranda. "Why does she need another doctor?"

"I'm a specialist," Owen replied and gave Jack a look that screamed for privacy, so that he could use the Bekaran scanner.

Jack nodded and put a hand on Aaron's shoulder. He suggested, "Let's walk a bit." Hesitantly, Aaron nodded and he followed Jack outside.

The corridor was busy, with nurses and doctors bustling about and relatives taking a break from seeing their loved ones.

Aaron cleared his throat, still holding onto the papercup as if it was the only thing keeping him going. "It's strange, seeing her so motionless," he whispered as soon as the door was closed. "She's normally so … active."

"What was she doing before she left you to go for a walk last night, Mr. Thompson?"

Aaron didn't look Jack in the eye. "Why do you want to know that?"

"We're looking for a reason for Miranda's condition. Two other people fell into a coma, without an obvious reason and within the last thirty-six hours."

Aaron helplessly shook his head. "She wasn't doing anything unusual. Everything was as always. Well, almost."

Jack frowned. "Almost?"

"We … she had a miscarriage, just a few months ago."

"I'm sorry," Jack said, meaning it.

"Thanks," Aaron muttered. "But she was fine, physically, and she was just starting to come out of her shell and to smile again. There was tentative talk about … trying it again. Yesterday was hard on her, though, because a colleague announced that she was pregnant. Miranda was crushed, but that's no reason to fall into a coma, is it?"

xxx

"I mean," Adam Booth said, smoothing over the blanket his comatose wife was covered with and stroking a blond lock of her forehead, "everything was going fine." He brushed a hand through his black hair. "We bought a house a month ago and were getting ready to move in. I'm up for a promotion and Sophie was happy with her job." He looked at Jack with teary, dark eyes. "She just takes a walk and this happens. I … I don't understand."

"We're trying to find the reason, Mr. Booth," Jack answered.

xxx

Susanna Hadings stared at her unconscious ex-husband and wiped tears from her blue eyes. "Well, bad things always seem to happen to us," she said, stroking Ian's blonde hair.

Jack raised an eyebrow at that gesture. "Are you still close?"

Susanna shrugged. "We aren't enemies. We got a divorce but that was because our marriage didn't work out anymore. Ian was so happy recently, I think he found himself a girlfriend and was looking for a way to tell me about her." She looked at Jack. "I really hope you find out what's causing this. Ian doesn't deserve this." With that, she left.

Owen passed her in the doorway.

"Tell me you found something," Jack asked.

"No," Owen answered, "there's nothing wrong with them to explain this. But the scanner found a residue on their hands."

"Their hands?" Jack asked, unwittingly checking Ian's fingers. They looked clean.

"It's invisible to the naked eye. Chronon particles."

"The Rift?" Jack asked.

Owen nodded and sighed deeply. "The Rift."

xxx

Ianto really didn't feel good.

He leaned against the wall near Lisa's room and tried to take some deep breaths, but they resulted in coughing and he felt like he was choking on nothing. He was dizzy. The world seemed slightly off-kilter and distant, as if there was a thick layer of mist between himself and the Hub.

He felt the cold floor under his knees and wondered when his body had decided to collapse, but before he could find an answer, the world lurched sideways and he stared at the floor for a few seconds before his mind blanked.


	15. Chapter 15

**2.**

The boardroom was quiet for a moment, while everybody digested what Owen had just told them about his findings. Then Tosh spoke up. "Chronon particles," she said and looked at Suzie. "They must have had direct contact with the Rift then."

Jack, standing at the head of the table, nodded and put his hands on his hips. "Or with something that came through."

"Well," Tosh said, "I checked the CCTV of Bute Park and I found nothing."

Suzie shook her head. "And I checked the CCTV of the surrounding area – everything is as it should be."

Jack bit his lip thoughtfully. "What about Rift spikes?"

Tosh sighed. "The last Rift spike in Bute Park was three weeks ago and we checked that out."

Owen nodded. "That was that … Sontaran warhead coming through, right?"

Suzie leaned back in her chair. "But to make sure that nothing new has come through, Tosh and I went to Bute Park while the two of you were in the hospital and scanned the area. No unusual energy readings."

Jack deduced, "So, there's really no reason for these people to fall into a coma." He smiled. This was exactly what he'd begged for while filling out paperwork. A mystery, a puzzle, anything to give his extensive knowledge about the universe some use. "Quite the riddle."

They all mulled that over in their heads for a minute, before Owen cleared his throat. "I know another riddle: Why aren't we getting any coffee up here?"

xxx

Somehow, the pile of paperwork on Jack's desk had had babies while he'd been in the boardroom talking about the new case. Where had been just two big piles before the meeting, there were now two more.

A post-it note on them in Ianto's neat handwriting told him _URGENT_ and _**VERY**__ URGENT_. He longed for a cup of coffee, but there was still no sign of Ianto. He leaned back in his chair, pouting at the forms, and activated his comm link. "Ianto? Bring me your gorgeous smile and some coffee, would you?"

From the door, Suzie said, "I'd say that's sexual harassment."

"He likes it, really."

Suzie's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, is that how it is now for you? Reduced to steamy office affairs with your secretary?"

"He's a gorgeous secretary. It's every man's dreams come true," Jack answered with a wide smile.

Suzie shook her head in fake disapproval. Then she closed the door and came towards his desk, her arms crossed. "Did you read my report?"

Jack looked at the paperwork family. He saw one of the brown manila folders Suzie always used sticking out at the very bottom of one of the parent piles. "Getting to it … ask me again in, say, fifty years?"

"I kind of hoped you would give me an answer now."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Well, give me the short version."

"Remember how I told you that the gauntlet is able to resurrect flies?"

"Yeah."

"I tested it and I can now keep flies alive for longer than a minute. And I had all of you testing it – turns out I have the most talent for it. I tested it on frogs and my neighbour's dead cat-"

"I really hope you didn't kill it," Jack interrupted with a grin.

Suzie shook her head, her smile strangely distracted and fake. "I think it's time to move the project to the next stage."

Jack frowned. "The next stage?"

Suzie took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. "Resurrecting humans."

Jack felt terror rip through him. "No way!"

"Jack-"

"No! There's no way we're opening that can of worms, Suzie."

"So it's okay to do it with animals?" Her dark eyes glittered angrily.

Oh, she was a beauty when she was angry and Jack would give her almost everything, but this … he couldn't. "You experimented with it. You can see what it can do, now leave it. Give it to Ianto to put it into the archives."

"No!"

"Okay, then give it to me." He nodded towards the safe he kept in his office. "I'm going to lock it into the secure archives."

"No, I mean _no_, Jack. This is too important to waste."

Jack closed his eyes. "We're not taking that last step towards being like Torchwood One, Suzie. We're not experimenting on humans."

"Why not?"

He got up. "Because it feels like being dragged over broken glass! It hurts, Suzie, that's why! It's agony to be forced away from death back to life!" He stopped himself from going further. He'd already told her too much. If she figured out now that he was immortal, that he'd died hundreds of times just to be dragged back to life for a reason that escaped him, then it was worth it. He would do everything in his might to avoid people suffering the same way he did every time he died. The terror of coming back to life, of abused lungs dragging in air, always asking himself why he'd become this way …

Suzie stared at him as if he was mad. "That's your final word?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Fine!" she replied and left his office, slamming the door on her way out.

xxx

Jack had Tosh check through the Hub's CCTV cameras at her computer. Ianto hadn't responded to being called via the comm link and there was no sign of him leaving the Hub for any reason. It wasn't like him to abandon his work without telling anyone and Jack was getting a bit worried.

Tosh stopped and switched back one camera. "Jack," she said.

He looked at the feed and cursed. "Owen!" he called into the med bay. "It's Ianto." With one last look at the prone figure lying in the corridor, he took off.

Jack reached Ianto first, but Owen, carrying his medical bag, wasn't far behind. Jack knelt next to Ianto and touched his cheek. "He's burning up," he told Owen who was just kneeling down beside him. Ianto turned his head away with a soft mutter in Welsh and Jack brushed a soothing hand through his hair.

Owen fiddled with the Bekaran scanner and then listened to Ianto's lungs. "Bugger," he said.

"What is it?" Jack asked, worried. Just then, Ianto wheezed and tried to sit up. Jack grabbed his arms and helped him, leaning him back against his chest while Ianto started coughing in earnest. Jack made soothing noises in the back of his throat and allowed himself a quick kiss to Ianto's hair while Owen wasn't looking. He should have reacted sooner, should have sent Ianto to Owen right away, should have insisted … it shouldn't have come down to this – Ianto passing out in one of Torchwood Three's dimly-lit, damp corridors.

Owen grimaced. "Pneumonia, I think," he said, "but I'll have to do a more in-depth examination to tell for sure."

"What do you need for that?" Jack asked, cradling Ianto closer when he finally calmed down.

"Not much … it's more about what Ianto needs. A bed, quiet, fluids ..."

Ianto shook his head. "Can't take a break," he whispered. "She's waiting for me." He coughed for a moment and added, "Always waiting for me."

xxx

The old infirmary hadn't seen patients for years, but when Jack opened the door and switched on the lights, he remembered how it had looked back when he'd been here the last few times – holding a baby boy while the man who'd given birth to him slept, frantically tending to a wounded teammate who had been hit by an alien weapon, fighting with Lucia so that the rest of the team in the main Hub wouldn't hear them … the infirmary was only used when treatment in local hospitals was impossible for whatever reason and that was a surprisingly rare occasion, either because the wound wasn't that bad or because the agent died before arriving at the Hub. The walls were just as plainly tiled as many other parts of the Hub and the five beds divided off by curtains were covered by plastic sheets.

It didn't take Jack and Suzie long to prepare a bed for Ianto near the door. Jack helped Owen to put tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt on Ianto and they tucked him in. Ianto coughed and curled up on his side, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Owen set up an IV, then he turned to Jack. "I gave him something to block the coughing for now and I'm administering antibiotics and fluids. He needs rest."

Ianto whispered, "I've got work to do."

Jack and Owen turned to look at him and were surprised to see Ianto staring right back. His skin was pale, except the cheeks which were flushed from fever.

"No work," Owen answered. "Not for you."

Ianto didn't argue. He just closed his eyes. Jack didn't need anything else to convince him of how badly off Ianto was. Owen fixed an oxygen mask over Ianto's mouth and fussed with the IV for a moment. He was hovering, Jack realized. The first real patient he had to care for since he'd started at Torchwood – the first patient who required more than stitches, a bandage and pain meds – and now he was a bit nervous, but slowly taking on the role of a doctor again.

Jack took Ianto's hand and gently said, "I put your comm link on the bedside table. If you need anything, you just say so."

Ianto nodded weakly. Jack straightened and signaled for Owen to follow him outside. "So?" he asked as soon as they were in the corridor.

Owen sighed and made notes in Ianto's file. "It's pneumonia. A bad one. Apparently, he ignored the cold he had for too long and this is what happened as a result of that."

"How long will he need to get better?" Jack asked.

"He needs a hospital, Jack. It's going to be weeks until he'll be well enough again to function properly. I want him to have that IV I gave him. I'd suggest moving him to a hospital as soon as he's had some sleep and the IV's through."

Jack nodded. "Alright."

xxx

Owen cursed and slammed a hand down on his desk, barely avoiding pushing off a mug with cold coffee.

Tosh looked up from her computer. "What's wrong?"

"I did some blood tests on the people in the hospital," Owen answered and leaned back in his chair. He folded his hands behind his head, trying to ease the tension in his back muscles. His eyes tried to catch Suzie's, but she hadn't talked to any of them for hours. The fight between her and Jack had been loud enough that half the population of Cardiff must have heard it. When Suzie continued to ignore him and preferred to tinker with the gauntlet, Owen turned to Tosh. "Nothing."

"Nothing," Toshiko echoed, "but what's causing their condition?"

"I wish I knew. Suzie made a map of where the victims have been over the last two weeks but nothing matches up."

"Except for Bute Park," Tosh pointed out, "where all of them were found."

"Bute Park," Owen echoed and he grinned at Tosh. "We should check the area again. Are you up for a field trip?"

She smiled. "Oh, yes!"

They grabbed their jackets from their chairs and Owen entered Jack's office. Jack was doing paperwork, or rather pouting at a form and apparently failing to understand it, since his hands kept pulling on his hair, messing up the normally perfect style. Owen cleared his throat and Jack looked up expectantly. "Tosh and I are headed for Bute Park."

Jack frowned. "Why?"

"We're looking for something that could have caused the comas."

"Again?" Jack asked. "Listen, I know you hate to be holed up here, but-"

"We're taking more in-depth equipment with us," Owen improvised. "Look at the water in the small pond and gather some soil samples."

Jack nodded. "Good idea. Tosh can take Suzie with her. You're not going anywhere."

Owen was stumped. "What? Why?"

"Because you've got a patient to tend to."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Right. So I'm grounded until Ianto's gone?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Alright. Screw waiting for the IV. Let's take him to a hospital now so that I can do my job, please?"

Jack smiled. "You're a doctor. You should be happy to have a patient again."

"But I'm not. I can't stand sick people."

Jack sighed. "Fine. Suzie and Tosh will go to Bute Park, we're bringing Ianto to a hospital."

"Thank you," Owen answered.

xxx

While Jack prepared a stretcher to transport Ianto to the SUV, Owen got Ianto's official medical file from his cabinet. He had two medical files for all team members. One that had everything in it and one for official cases like this one wherein alien induced sicknesses and similar occurrences weren't noted. Not that Ianto had ever had any medical problems caused by alien interference, but safe was better than sorry.

Checking that he had the correct file, Owen entered the infirmary. "Alright, Ianto, it's time to move ..." He stopped. The bed was empty. Owen turned back and yelled down the corridor, "Jack! One little problem!"

xxx

It was warm outside with the early-summer sun shining down on Bute Park. Suzie and Tosh were on their way to the playground where all three victims had been found, scanning the area and trying to be discreet about it. Some walkers, joggers and families were out here. They didn't need to draw attention to themselves. So they'd started talking like two friends out for a walk, covering topics like the weather and current tv-shows before they veered off into more dangerous terrain. By now, Tosh wished she had never started a conversation.

Suzie pointed out, "I'm just saying that the glove could really help us solve cases."

"I think it's dangerous technology," Tosh answered. "Reviving dead matter … that's not right."

"It's not exactly like the glove's reviving them. The first time I tried it, the fly was alive for only thirty seconds before it died again. I'm sure it's only temporary, but the user gets better the longer they practice. Yesterday, I managed to revive a fly for over a minute."

Tosh frowned. "Just listen to Jack and stop playing around with that thing. You know how he can get."

Suzie snorted. "Jack's too interested in Ianto to notice anything but his arse. The glove's magnificent and important for humankind." Suzie waved the scanner around and nodded thoughtfully while she checked the results. "Chronon particles," she said.

Tosh sighed, looking at her own scanner. "They're everywhere around here. The whole area's practically soaked through with them."

"Well, we had that warhead coming through a few weeks back," Suzie said.

"A few weeks back. The particles should have dissolved since then. Instead, the amount has stayed the same. There's no Rift activity, no energy signals, nothing but ..." She bit her lip, not wanting to say what she thought.

Suzie threw her a curious look. "But what?"

"Something's giving off the particles. Something that came through the Rift. It's still giving them off – right now."

Suzie looked around the deserted playground while she seemed to think over the news. "It's still here."


	16. Chapter 16

**3.**

Ianto lifted the last of the boxes with IV bags onto the small table he'd put near the conversion unit. He'd ordered four weeks worth of painkillers and antibiotics for Lisa shortly after he'd taken on the job at Torchwood Three and while he'd been stocking up Owen's storage. It hadn't been easy to hide every trace of of the delivery, but he'd managed.

Ianto coughed and clutched his chest against the stinging pain in his lungs. Tears were forming in his eyes, but he pushed them back. Lisa needed him. "They're looking for me," he whispered. "These are …" Ianto's breathing hitched and he studied the label on the IV bag he was holding in confusion. "It's … I don't know what's it for …" He focused. "Pain! Against pain." He put it back where it belonged and pointed at the other box. "And these are antibiotics. It's going to be hard, but you have to change the bags yourself. It should be enough for at least two weeks."

"Why? Where are you going?" Lisa asked.

"They want to take me to a hospital," Ianto answered and wiped his face. His hand came back sticky with sweat.

"Why?" Lisa asked. "It's just a cold."

Ianto laughed helplessly. "It's pneumonia and ..." He coughed. "It's bad." The two words caused another bout of coughing. He thought he heard Lisa mutter something that sounded like "upgrade" and asked, "What?" Lisa just shook her head and he blamed his frayed nerves and feverish mind. He smiled tiredly. "I'll be gone for a while. So change your IVs and … remember to take your vitamins." He stared at her. Tears threatened again and he let them fall. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Lisa asked.

"I should have taken more care of myself. Now you're the one who's suffering from my mistakes."

Lisa shook her head and opened her mouth, but she didn't respond, apparently at a loss.

Ianto forced himself to calm down. "I'll try to get better soon. I'll be back as fast as I can."

"You have to resist them. Don't let them take you away. Fight for me."

"I'm so tired."

"You promised to take care of me," Lisa said.

Ianto sobbed. "I want to … but I can't. Not at the moment." He turned away.

"You always keep your promises." Her tone was cold and Ianto wondered if he was just dreaming this conversation, if this was just a nightmare. "I won't survive without you," Lisa said.

Ianto looked back. "You will. I know you will. I'll come back as soon as possible."

"If you leave now, I will hate you!"

Ianto froze with his hand on the door handle. "Don't do this," he whispered.

"You're abandoning me!"

Ianto whirled back around. "I'm not! I'm doing what I can, Lisa. I really, really love you, but I can't take care of you at the moment. After everything I did for you, are you really accusing me of abandoning you? I'm betraying these people for you!"

"As if you're sorry for that, Ianto. You told me that you hate them."

"Well, I don't. Not anymore." At least not Jack and Tosh. The jury was still out on Suzie. Owen … well, he couldn't say that he hated Owen. They just didn't like each other. That didn't classify as hate, right?

"They dismiss you, they don't care about you, you're just a servant to them!"

Every word hit home, wounding Ianto.

Lisa added, "Lower than dirt … but _I_ love you."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Kill them. All of them."

Ianto stumbled back against the door.

Lisa whispered, "The sooner we have this building to ourselves, the better."

"I can't."

"Don't you love me?"

"Of course."

"Then do it for me."

He bit his lip, wiped his trembling hands down his face.

Lisa snorted. "Or maybe you love that man more." Ianto's heart stopped beating. Lisa continued in a cold voice, "The one you're smelling of when you come back here every evening."

xxx

Ianto gasped and opened his eyes wide. Jack pushed him back down onto the floor of the corridor when Ianto tried to sit up. He wondered what Ianto was doing down here, far away from the main Hub, almost at the garage. Whatever it was, apparently, he'd passed out on his way there. Jack had found him muttering to himself in his uneasy sleep.

Ianto blinked a few times as if he wanted to clear his vision and Jack tried a reassuring smile. Into his comm link, he said, "Just get here as soon as possible. He's still burning up and he's getting delirious." Owen muttered a curse. Jack's eyes focused on Ianto. "Hey there," he said gently.

"Lisa," Ianto whispered. His eyes fell shut, but he forced them open again.

"Not exactly," Jack said with a small smile. He stroked a thumb over Ianto's cheek. "One hell of a nightmare," he commented casually. Carefully, he helped Ianto to sit up and leaned him against his chest, cradling him close.

Ianto's body was feverish and shivering. "I don't love you," he said.

Jack's eyebrows rose. "I'm glad to hear that," he said softly. "I wasn't going for love."

"I love Lisa."

"That's okay," Jack said.

"She hates me," Ianto sobbed. Jack heard the staccato beat of Owen's feet not far away and quickly kissed Ianto's cheek before pulling him into an embrace.

Owen stopped next to them and fell to his knees. "Bloody hell! I'm gone for a minute and you reduce a man to tears."

Jack shook his head, a warning, and buried his hand in Ianto's hair. Owen rolled his eyes. He put a calming hand on Ianto's back.

"I tried to tell her that I can't kill you," Ianto said.

"Glad to hear that," Owen answered then he addressed Jack, "Hospital, now."

"No, please," Ianto said and pulled away from Jack and Owen towards the wall. "I can't leave."

"Right," Owen said, readying a syringe.

Jack frowned and shifted, unconsciously shielding Ianto. "Is that really necessary?"

"We don't have time for this. He's clearly delirious. Can you believe the crap he's talking about?"

Jack hissed, "He's talking about his girlfriend. The one who died at Canary Wharf." He got up and pulled Ianto to his feet gently, coaxing him towards the garage with a quiet, "Just to check on you. You'll be back here in no time." He glared at Owen. "You of all people should understand grief."

Owen looked stung. His eyes slid to Jack's arm around Ianto's waist and he sneered. "Oh, I bet you help him plenty."

Jack didn't react, he just tightened his hold around Ianto's waist and continued towards the garage.

xxx

It almost seemed as if the glove was staring at Suzie, daring her to go further. She looked around for Tosh, but she was too deep into her work to notice anything but her screen. Suzie looked at the dead rat she'd found in one of the corridors and slid on the glove. A relieved sigh escaped her when the familiar weight seemed to tighten around her hand, attaching itself to her skin. She smiled and touched the rat's head. The now familiar darkness of afterlife washed over her, drowning her. She got herself under control and focused. Vaguely, she felt more than heard or saw other souls around her. She tried to approach them, to find a human soul, but the gauntlet wouldn't let her. It led her straight to the rat. Suzie slid off the glove before she could drag the rat's soul out of the dark. She was back in the main Hub again with the sounds of water trickling down the tower and Tosh tapping away on her keyboard.

Suzie cleared her throat. "Hey, are you hungry?"

Tosh looked up at her. "Frankly, yeah."

Suzie smiled. "I bought lunch."

Tosh sighed. "Right. I'll go and get us a pizza for dinner." She grabbed her purse. "Back soon."

"Okay, thanks!" Suzie called after her. Tosh left the Hub through the cogwheel door. Now, with Owen and Jack still at the hospital sorting Ianto out, Suzie was alone. The word _Morgue_ caught her eye, written above a doorway and she smiled again. Flies, rats and cats were not enough.

She needed something bigger, something better.

Something human.


	17. Chapter 17

**4.**

Jack put one hand on Ianto's forehead and smiled. Ianto shifted in his sleep, unconsciously tucking the hospital blanket tighter around himself. Jack knew he should be at the Hub and looking into the coma case, but he needed some moments of silence, and since Owen had left a few minutes ago, Jack and Ianto were alone. Owen's reassurances that Ianto would get better eventually were echoing around Jack's head and he sighed deeply. Ianto was still feverish, still resting fitfully, but he was in good hands now.

The door opened and a nurse said softly, "You'll have to leave now, sir. It's way past visiting hours."

He turned around to her and smiled widely. "Well, thank you for letting me stay a moment longer." He stepped towards the door, passing her by a bit closer than he had to. She blushed prettily and Jack winked. "Take good care of him for me, will you? I need him back at the office."

"Of course, sir," the nurse answered.

He grinned and left with a quiet "thank you".

xxx

He'd been a Torchwood leader once. At least that was what the label on his cryochamber said. _Jane, Constantine_ was an attractive man but even dead, he seemed strict and earnest. Suzie had looked at his file to get to know him a little before she did this. He'd died from a Weevil attack in 1937, and like every other Torchwood employee, he'd been frozen after his death. The ugly scratches resulting from the attack ran along his throat, proving the file right. Suzie put on the glove and laid her hand on Constantine Jane's head ...

… the darkness descended immediately and the murmurs of the dead enveloped her like a comforting blanket. She made her way through the darkness, vaguely hearing some people cry softly, some talk as if they were oblivious to what had happened, some screaming and some were quiet. The glove led the way, and there he was: Constantine Jane. Suzie squeezed her eyes shut, reached down and grabbed him …

… and suddenly, she was back in the morgue and Constantine was screaming, "Look out!" Then he gasped.

Suzie put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," she said, pushing away the thrill of actually talking to someone who was dead. "You're safe."

"The Weevils-"

"They're gone," Suzie answered.

Constantine stared at her. "Who are you?" His eyes rolled back in his head and he was gone.

Suzie stared at him, then the glove and then she let out a triumphant yell. "I did it," she exclaimed. "Oh, I did it!" She put her hand back on Constantine's head, but, as expected, nothing happened. "It really only works once." It had been easier to find Constantine's soul than the flies or even the cat or the rat. Suzie thought about that for a moment, then she developed a theory. Maybe it was a matter of how violent the death had been. The flies, the cat and the rat had just died and an animal wouldn't react to death the same way humans did. Constantine had been easy to find, because he'd screamed.

Suzie slid the drawer shut and hurried to her computer. She needed another kind of death to prove her theory. Something that wasn't as traumatic as being killed by a Weevil. She wouldn't find an agent who'd died of old age, but maybe, just maybe … a file opened and she grinned. "Perfect."

xxx

For just a moment, Jack was so shocked that he didn't know what to do. He just stared at Suzie who was leaning over a dead Torchwood agent – someone he knew, he'd put her into that drawer – muttering, "Come on, where are you?" Her eyes closed, her face a mask of concentration. And he knew what she was trying to do.

"Suzie!"

She startled and stepped away from the drawer. Jack's boots thundered down the walkway.

Suzie seemed to realize that he was already as angry as he could get, because she hurriedly said, "It's just a test. They don't feel a thing. I want to prove a theory I have. I think that the resurrection depends on-"

"I don't care!" Jack yelled and slid the drawer closed, his fingers brushing over the name plate _Mason, Eveline, 1934_ reverently for a moment. "You're not doing this to anyone without talking to me beforehand!"

"So you would have allowed it?"

"No! Of course not!"

"But, Jack, the things we could learn. Can't you see? We have so many unsolved deaths in our morgue drawers and others have died because they made the same mistakes as the agents before them. We could learn from them."

"They are dead, Suzie. Let them be."

She sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I'm right, Jack. I know that I am. And I bet they're glad that they can escape death for a few minutes at least, because it's a dark and sad place."

Jack turned away, mouthing, "I know." He heard Suzie starting to leave. He slid open the drawer and bent down to kiss Eveline's head. "That's why the knowledge that they have to go back there is even worse." He closed the drawer.

"Jack," Suzie said. He didn't turn around. Suzie waited for a moment, then she asked, "Remember those kids that got killed last year?"

How could he forget? Mutilated, little bodies – seven of them – discarded like yesterday's newspapers.

Suzie continued, "If we'd known sooner that it was a Fleik, we would have found it sooner and four or more of those children would be with their parents now."

He bent his head. "So you're saying, if we'd asked the dead children, they could have led us to their killer?"

"Yes, and saved the others."

There was no way Jack could argue with that. Not after the sometimes horrible things he'd done while being a Torchwood agent. He turned back to Suzie. "I say when, I say who."

Suzie nodded. "Alright."

xxx

Owen stared down at Miranda Thompson and thought back to the other two victims, Ian Hadings and Sophie Booth. He'd examined all of them again, had used the Bekaran scanner until his fingers hurt from pushing the levers and buttons on it and he'd talked to the relatives again. Nothing.

Sighing, he left the hospital and let the cool night air brush away his exhaustion. He pulled out his mobile and read Tosh's text message from a few hours ago for a third time.

_Nothing at Bute Park that could explain this. I'll keep looking into it. T._

He wanted to go to his car, but changed his mind and went back in to check on Ianto.

The pretty, dark-haired night nurse handed him Ianto's file after he'd shown her his Torchwood ID. "Poor thing," she said.

Owen leafed through the file, checking what the hospital had added since the last time he'd seen it. "Why?" he asked, distracted.

"He keeps saying that he needs to save Lisa. Who's she then? His girlfriend?"

Owen shook his head. "She was. She's dead."

He could practically see the nurse starting to fancy Ianto. Her savior instinct came through full force and she pulled a sad face. "Oh! Must be the fever talking then. Did he lose her recently?"

Owen shrugged, not really interested in talking about Ianto.

The night nurse sighed in regret. "He must have loved her a lot."

Owen was presented with a choice: he could tell her that Ianto had, but that he was ready to try a new relationship now, but he was irritated because he couldn't solve the coma case and he was tired and, yes, a bit jealous that she had more interest in the bloody secretary when there was he himself – a doctor! So he just said, "Don't bother. He's shagging our boss now. The big bloke in the fancy, blue coat." She was unable to hide her surprise and embarrassment and Owen smiled, "But I'm free on Friday."

xxx

Summer Hargreaves wiped tears from her cheeks and stopped dead when she saw the Bute Park playground to her left, ignored at this time of night. She sniffed and sat on a bank. Jennifer and Ewan could say whatever they wanted, Summer knew that after such a long time of trying to have a baby, it was close to impossible to become pregnant. Ewan had gotten tested and Summer, too. Both of them were fertile and everything was perfect, but the baby that should complete the family she'd planned with Jennifer just wasn't coming. Ewan tried. He really did. He donated sperm on a regular basis, but it just didn't work.

Summer closed her eyes ... and when she opened them again, someone was sitting on the swing. She startled and then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was just a child. Her long, dark hair and the shadows between the lamps surrounding the playground hid her face. Summer looked around, but she couldn't spot any adults. Hesitantly, she got up. "Hello, there!" she said. No reaction. Summer frowned. "Are you alright?" The girl sobbed. Summer walked slowly towards her. "It's okay," she said. "I'm going to take care of you."

The girl looked up and Summer went down.

A jogger found her early in the morning and called an ambulance.


	18. Chapter 18

**5.**

Jack had gathered the team in the boardroom. There were empty containers of _Starbucks_ coffee in front of each of them. It was official: Ianto had turned them into coffee snobs. Jack smiled at that thought for a moment, then he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "So there's still something in Bute Park."

Tosh looked at the pictures of the now four victims lying in a coma in the hospital displayed on the flatscreen behind Jack's seat. "Something that's causing this," she added.

Suzie looked at a file. "Summer Hargreaves, thirty-one. Went for a walk yesterday in the late evening. Her girlfriend Jennifer Coates and her best friend Ewan Barnes tried to report her missing this morning, but the police wanted to wait until forty-eight hours had gone by. She was found in a coma in Bute Park only minutes later."

Jack asked, "What was she doing there?"

"Clearing her head. That's what her girlfriend said. They were trying for a pregnancy with Ewan as the father, but it wouldn't work. Summer was apparently crushed after yet another pregnancy test was negative and went for a walk."

Tosh frowned and Jack saw her tap away at her laptop hurriedly.

Owen chipped in, "No indication as to what could be causing this." He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. That was apparently all he had to say. Jack nodded at him and looked at Suzie, all the while keeping an eye on Tosh. She was apparently on to something, but he would give her a minute.

"I've got nothing," Suzie said. "Everything's the same as before. No sign as to who or what could have done this."

Tosh looked at Jack and he smiled warmly at her. "I think we have someone who knows something."

"The missing link – it's children," Tosh said.

Owen frowned. "None of the victims have children."

"Exactly!" Tosh said.

Suzie's eyes widened. "Oh, my God! She's right."

Tosh nodded at her. "All the victims are linked by one wish – children. Ian and Susanna Hadings lost their eight-year-old son about a year ago. They took it bad, even got divorced. Miranda and Aaron Thompson lost their unborn baby a few months ago. Adam and Sophie Booth are candidates for an adoption and they're already been waiting for years, even moved into a house to be be more likely candidates. Summer Hargreaves wants a baby with her girlfriend Jennifer, with Ewan being the father, but it doesn't work out."

Jack shook his head in disbelief. "Children. That's the connection."

Suzie added, "All of them vanished at the playground."

They looked at each other. After a few moments, Owen pointed out the obvious, "Okay. We know why, but we still have no idea who or how."

xxx

Shelves. Rows of shelves. And filing cabinets. That was Torchwood Three's archives. Tosh sighed deeply. "Oh God, I wish Ianto was here."

Jack smiled at her. "What? Is my company not good enough for you?"

She blushed. "It's not that," she answered. "It's just ..." She looked around the huge room containing the main part of the archives. "I think he'd have an idea where to look." They'd spent the last three hours searching for anything or anyone who could have caused the comas. The computers, supervised by Suzie, were busy cross-referencing and Owen was speaking to the relatives of the victims and running new blood tests. The day had been slow. Owen had checked on Ianto and informed Jack that the doctors were caring for him, but that it was slow going. The rest of the day had been spent checking the playground around Bute Park again, scanning the area for Rift activities and even dismantling the Sontaran warhead they'd found there a few weeks ago, to see if there could have been something within it that was causing the comas.

Jack nodded and opened another filing cabinet, before slamming it closed again with a frustrated grunt. "I think we're on the wrong track here." Tosh looked at him questioningly. Jack explained, "It's about emotion. Human emotion. Sadness, the wish to love and care …" He bit his lip. "Losing a child or wanting one so badly … I know how that feels."

Tosh frowned. "You … lost a child?"

Jack nodded and crossed his arms. For a second he seemed as if he was mad at himself for saying what he'd said, but then he shook his head. "More than one. I … gave away my first child, because I saw myself unable to care for it and I … had a wife who died pregnant and …" He smiled sadly. "I had a girlfriend who thought I shouldn't come near our daughter anymore and … I had a little boy once … they took him away from me, because they thought I was unable to care for him."

Tosh stared at him. "Jack … you had that many children?"

"I've had a long life," Jack answered and turned away, forestalling further questions.

Tosh understood and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I think we should try and-"

"It's about human emotion," Jack interrupted her.

"You said that already," Tosh answered and opened another filing cabinet.

Jack slid it closed. "I think I know what happened."

xxx

Everything hurt. His lungs, his joints and his head. Ianto opened his eyes slowly and blinked a few times to get rid of the blurry vision. Owen was standing next to his bed, reading his file. "Jack sends his best," he said, noting something down and checking Ianto's IV.

Ianto was confused. Smatterings of nightmares and reality were chasing around his head, blending together and splitting up again. Ianto wasn't sure what was true and what had just been a dream. "What happened?" he asked.

"You have pneumonia. It's bad," Owen said, "but not hopeless. A few weeks of rest and you'll be as good as new."

"Weeks?" Ianto echoed, his eyes widening. "I can't stay here for weeks."

Owen's eyebrows drew together. "You'll have to. They've brought your fever down for now and calmed your coughing but that won't hold forever. You are seriously ill, Ianto. And if you had come to me as soon as you realized that something was wrong ..." Ianto tried to sit up, but he got dizzy and sank back into the pillow. Owen shook his head. "You are weak, you are ill, you could have died. Neglect does that to you."

Ianto avoided his eyes. "I was busy."

"Yes, making coffee can be so time-consuming," Owen spat and slammed Ianto's file shut.

Ianto wanted to answer to that, but he felt too tired. He closed his eyes and pulled the blanket higher when he felt shivers crawl down his spine. "When will I be able to leave?"

"I can't say yet," Owen answered. Ianto flinched when he felt Owen's cool hand on his forehead. "Burning up again."

"A week," Ianto said.

"No can do. It'll be two at least."

Ianto coughed.

Owen asked, "Are you that desperate to get back to our job?" He snorted. "Get a life, mate." With that he turned away and left.

"I have one," Ianto whispered and tried to remember how many IV bags he'd given Lisa or if that part had just been a dream as well as her confronting him about cheating on her.

xxx

Jack had been sitting in the cool evening breeze on a bench next to the playground for a while, thinking of his children and trying to awake the feelings he linked with their losses. He tried to ignore the world around him, the chitter-chatter of people passing by. He even ignored Tosh who was sitting next to him calmly, waiting. It was early evening and the playground was already deserted, but there were still a few people around. He didn't think it would make a difference. That the victims had been pulled into their comas at night was surely a coincidence. This wasn't about someone grabbing them late at night to get something out of them, Jack assumed. This was, as he'd told Tosh, about human emotions and he guessed it all came down to an empath, either from Earth or some alien who had come through the Rift.

In Jack's time, humans were much more aware of how powerful the mind could be, but the average 21st century human didn't know anything about that. They were raw and open, their feelings and thoughts plain to pick up on for those who had empathic or other mental abilities. He had built a mental barrier protecting his mind from unwanted intrusions early in his childhood and perfected it during his time as a time agent, not that that kind of intrusion happened very often these days. People with extraordinary mental abilities were rare, just like empaths were, but they could be found in every big city on Earth. Mostly, their ability simply caused people to think that they were very sympathetic or that they had excellent people skills. The truth was that they could feel what others were feeling and they could, without realizing that they were doing it, project their emotions onto others.

Jack had two empaths on his team, but they didn't even know about it. Actually, he wasn't quite sure if Ianto knew. He was a former Torchwood One employee after all and Torchwood One had made some progress were the powers of the mind were concerned. All their agents had mental shields, a lot more rudimentary than Jack's, to protect Torchwood from being taken over via mind control, with which they'd experimented to no avail – the 21st century brain wasn't yet ready to influence others to do what they wanted. Sometimes, Jack wondered if he should talk to Ianto and train him to strengthen his mental barriers and tease out his empathic gift a bit more. Even though Jack was mentally strong, his empathic abilities were limited at best – he couldn't overcome mental shields to feel what others felt. With a bit of training, Ianto could be able to help them gauge how aliens felt, even though their minds were protected. And if he should decide to train up Ianto, then Jack assumed he could just as well train Owen, too. Two empaths were better than one after all and Owen's ability was very poignant. But then again, he hesitated. Empathy wasn't an easy gift to handle, especially in this time, where everyone just broadcast their emotions without hiding them behind shields.

Jack sighed and realized that he'd let his thoughts stray. He shook himself out of his reverie and was just about to think of his children, when he noticed a small girl sitting on a swing. Jack took a deep breath. "There you are," he said, leaning back on the bench and putting one hand on his gun. The park's noises seemed to fade away all of a sudden and there was only him and the girl. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tosh sitting next to him, checking her PDA. The girl raised her head. She was a beautiful child with blue eyes and long brown hair. Jack recognized her immediately. "Very good imitation," he said, "but Alice is grown up now. How about you show me what you really look like?" She got up from the swing. When her feet touched the ground, she was suddenly a boy with green eyes and dark locks and the delicate features of his father. Jack swallowed thickly. "Michael?" he whispered.

The boy came towards him and answered, "I can be whoever you want me to be."

It was a girl again, dark hair and brown eyes, the spitting image of her mother, so that Jack was able to recognize her even though she had never been born. "I don't want you to be Theresa's daughter then," Jack answered, "or any of my other children."

The girl stopped. "I hurt you," she said and looked ready to burst into tears.

Jack swallowed. "You are a strong empath if you're able to pick up on my emotions. I have mental shields."

The girl's shoulders sagged and she sniffed. "Why do you know that? None of the others did."

"I'm different," Jack said.

"Me, too," the girl answered, "and I'm lost."

"I guessed as much," Jack said gently and got up to crouch in front of her. "Would you come closer? Let me see who you really are?" The girl hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded slowly and stepped towards Jack. She changed yet again and when she stopped in front of Jack, she was still humanoid, but her dark blue skin and bright green eyes as well as her black long hair made it easy for Jack to see who she really was. He smiled in delight. "Such a beautiful little Vernae." She smiled and blushed a little and Jack reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "The most gifted empaths the universe has ever seen." He'd met some of her race while he'd been a time agent. They were peaceful and communicated by using words as well as projecting their feelings.

"It's not a gift," the Vernae said, "it's just who we are."

"What's your name?" Jack asked.

"Keleia."

"I'm Jack."

She frowned. "You are sad."

"Yes. Because you did something and now some people from here are ill."

The Vernae's eyes glazed over with tears.

Jack smiled in a friendly way, trying to show her that he wasn't going to hurt her. "Where are your parents?" He was hit by a wave of loneliness and sadness. Keleia was projecting now to communicate with him.

"They went away."

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"We were flying, but then something happened and the ship caught on fire. We fell through the Rift."

Jack's eyes narrowed, when he remembered something. "How long have you been here?"

"Days."

"Weeks, maybe?"

She nodded. The Sontaran warhead. It must have hit the ship and brought it off course. Sontarans weren't known for cruel, unreasonable attacks. Maybe the warhead had been some kind of junk, left over from a war. It might have hit the Vernae by pure chance.

Jack asked, "And you've been alone since then?" Keleia nodded. Jack cleared his throat. "Listen, there are people who became sick after coming here."

Keleia sobbed. "I just wanted them to take care of me. Their emotions told me that they were looking for someone to take care of, but it went wrong. I hurt them. I'm so sorry." She sniffed. "And now I hurt you, too."

"No, you didn't," Jack answered, fighting against the tears that Keleia's emotions wanted him to shed. "I'm right here, unharmed."

"No, you're not." Keleia pointed at something over Jack's shoulder and he turned around. Shocked, he realized that he – his body – was sitting slumped on the bench with Tosh frantically checking him over. Keleia took his hand and cuddled close to his side. "I hurt you."


	19. Chapter 19

**6.**

"Oh my God!" Tosh gasped and pressed her fingers against Jack's neck. Suzie came running from where she'd been waiting in the SUV. Tosh had called her via the comm link as soon as she had realized that something was wrong when Jack didn't move or respond to her calls. "He's alive."

"I bet he's in a coma," Suzie said.

"I think so," Tosh answered and activated her comm link. "Owen, come to Bute Park. Jack's the next victim." Owen cursed loud enough to make Tosh grimace, but gave a gruff confirmation. Tosh looked at Suzie. "What now?"

"We should stay here. Whatever happened, maybe it isn't over yet."

Tosh nodded. "You're right." Suzie put her bag on the bench and Tosh heard something within rattle. Her eyes widened. "You didn't ..."

"What?" Suzie asked. Her eyes gave her away, though.

"Jack's going to have kittens," Tosh hissed, as if he was able to hear them.

"I don't care. And does it really matter now?"

Tosh shrugged and looked back at Jack, who wasn't reacting to anything. "I guess not."

For a moment, both of them were quiet. Then Suzie suggested, "Why don't you go and meet Owen at the entrance?"

Tosh frowned. Something was off about Suzie's tone of voice. "Why? He knows where we are."

"Who's the second in command here – me or you? Just do it," Suzie snapped. Tosh was hurt by her harsh tone and Suzie seemed to notice that. "Please? I'll stay with Jack."

"Alright." Hesitantly, Tosh got up and hurried away, looking back toward Suzie more than once until she was out of sight.

xxx

"I'm sorry," Keleia sobbed and buried herself against Jack's side.

Jack stared at Tosh and Suzie who were frantically discussing something over his unconscious body. A few people walking by gave them strange looks, but carried on walking – blind to the obvious; this century was so … and that was when Jack realized that he was really in big trouble. "What did you do? Why?" he asked.

"I need you to be my friend."

And everything fell into place suddenly. There was a bond between Vernae children and their parents – an empathic bond that couldn't be broken or the children would wither away and die, like some human babies who didn't get cuddled. After reaching a certain age, the bond slowly disintegrated, making it possible for the children to travel the universe. But Keleia hadn't reached that age, yet.

Again, Jack asked, "Where are your parents?"

"I don't know," Keleia answered.

Jack focused all his energy on solving that riddle now. Keleia needed him to. "You got hit by a warhead, so I bet you leaked atmosphere." Keleia nodded. Jack continued, "And you saved yourselves by using the cryochambers. The link with your parents got severed in the process, but that was normal, since you were frozen." His eyes widened. "You are still in your ship! This is just your mind I'm talking to, right? Your species can do that, separate mind and body to entwine the minds on a level beyond the the real world – like we are right now – and make the empathic connection more powerful. That's why you can speak English – we're communicating with our minds."

"It's very hard to do."

"I bet," Jack said with a laugh. "You're just a child. And you're not frozen anymore. Something must have gone wrong with your cryochamber, maybe damage from when that warhead hit you. So you … you took the minds of three people before me, to get them to entwine with yours … but it didn't work."

Keleia's eyes filled with tears again. "They were here, for a while, and I pretended to be their child, because I knew they wouldn't accept me in my real form."

"You manipulated their perception."

Keleia nodded. "But then they went away and I had to find another one."

"Because their minds aren't strong enough for what you were doing. Keleia, this isn't the 51st century, it's the 21st and human kind doesn't even recognize mental abilities yet. Their brains can't take a connection as strong as ours."

"Why can you?"

"Because I'm not from around here," Jack said. "I'm from the future." Suddenly, he started to feel dizzy and like he was awaking from the dead. He stumbled and fell, hearing Keleia call out to him frantically. It hurt, oh God, it hurt. He screamed.

xxx

"Jack!" Suzie called, trying to hold him down on the bench while his back arched and he screamed. "Jack!" She pulled off the glove and put it on the bench next to him to be able to hold on to him better. Luckily, no one was around at the moment to witness what happened. The stream of passers-by had lessened over the last few minutes. It was now early evening – dinner time.

Jack's scream died away to a whimper and he opened his eyes. "Suzie ..."

"I don't know how much time we have," she said. "I used the glove on you."

His eyes widened. "God damn it! I'm not dead!"

"I know that!" Suzie snapped. "It was the only thing I could think of that would enable us to know what happened."

Jack gasped. "She's pulling me back."

"Who?" Suzie asked. "Who is it, Jack?"

But he was already gone.

xxx

Jack gasped. Keleia looked at him, clearly scared and a bit shaky. "You were gone." He felt her grasping for his emotions, digging for his love for his children and he helped her by trying to focus on them. Her shaking stopped and she calmed down considerably.

"I'm back now," Jack answered.

"You can't leave me alone," Keleia said.

"It wasn't exactly a choice." He turned away from her, looking at Suzie and himself. "It resurrects the dead. It calls the dead souls back into their bodies ..." He turned back around to Keleia. "I'm not dead, but my soul left my body to be here with you. The glove called it back." He pushed a hand through his hair. A headache was making itself known. He felt dizzy. A glance over his shoulder revealed the reason. "Oh, she's doing it again." He stumbled and fell to his knees. He could see Suzie leaning over his body, using the glove. He fought the pull. "Keleia," he panted. She was staring at him with tears in her eyes. Jack said, "Call me back. I think I know how we can help you. But you have to give me a few minutes."

"No, I can't! It hurts to be away from you!"

Jack tried to give her a comforting smile. "You can do it! I know you can!"

Everything went black and then he stared at Suzie. Tosh and Owen were standing just behind her.

Suzie addressed them with a smile, "I told you."

"Listen to me," Jack said. "We have a stranded, cloaked Vernae ship in this park. It's likely that it's floating above us right this second. Their cloaks are good enough to keep in any energy signatures, that's why we didn't pick up on it. It was hit by the warhead we found here a few weeks ago and it's been here since. Vernaes are empathic beings. Their children need their parent's presence to survive. There's a little girl. Her parents are gone. She's all alone and now she's taking people, who want children, to look after her. But it doesn't work, because those people don't know scratch about empathy. So she tried again and again … and now it's my turn, but I know at least what's going on and my brain can take it." He became dizzy and yelled, "Wait a minute! Not yet!"

His team was staring at him with wide eyes. Owen said, "Jack, what the bloody-"

"Listen!" Jack interrupted him. "She's calling me back. Suzie, I want you to use the glove in five minutes. Owen, cordon off the area. Liaise with the police. Make up a story."

Owen opened his mouth.

"I don't care what you tell them! Tosh, get ready to repair some damage, get gas masks – Vernae breathe toxic atmosphere. And get a ladder." He swallowed when he felt nausea creep up his throat. "Gotta go," he said, trying to give his team a reassuring smile, but then, suddenly, he was not on the bench anymore, but stumbling to the ground and Keleia was huddled next to him, her arms wrapped around her knees and her face tear-streaked. "I'm back," Jack said. "Don't you worry. It's okay." He pulled her close, knowing that their bodies were just a mirror of their minds communicating and hugged her close, thinking about the happy hours with his children. He felt her soaking up the feelings.

When she'd calmed down a bit, he smiled at her. "I need your help now. You have to show me exactly what happened. I have to know what in your ship is broken so that I can tell my friends how to fix it." He focused on lowering the shields around his mind, feeling vulnerable and exposed all of a sudden, but there was just no other way. Keleia was too small to understand the ship yet, so he had to look at the crash from her perspective and hope that it would be enough to find the fault. He felt Keleia enter his mind hesitantly and her childlike curiosity latched onto some thoughts and memories of his. He tried to keep back the darker patches in his life and pushed everything he remembered fondly to the forefront for Keleia to find. "Now, young lady," he smiled, "that's not nice. Leave my memories alone." He felt Keleia pull back a little and then one of her memories was pushed towards him.

_Fire, screams, "Keleia, get into the pod!", "Don't worry, somebody will find us.", "I can't breathe."_

Jack clutched Keleia closer when her fear and terror sliced through him. He felt tears run down his cheeks from their shared emotions. "Too fast, sweetie," he whispered. "I can't see it properly. Start at the beginning." And then he saw it.

The warhead coming out of nowhere, scraping the ship just as it was about to leave the vicinity of the Rift, sending it spinning back uncontrollably; Keleia's parents realizing that the air was leaking from the ship; Keleia feeling her parents' fear and worry; the decision to hibernate in the cryopods used for long-range travel to escape the lack of breathable air; the reassurances that somebody would find them, the emergency signal was being sent; Keleia waking up in the cryochamber a couple of days ago due to a malfunction; the realization that she couldn't open the door because inside the chamber was the only breathable air left; missing the love of her parents so much it literally hurt; looking for alternatives in the area surrounding the ship and finding Ian Hadings – the first coma patient.

"But he went away again," Keleia whispered, still wrapped in Jack's memories of love for his children. She sounded sleepy, as if wrapped in a warm blanket or in his arms for real and he smiled, thinking that for an empath, feeling his loving emotions would equal a cozy bed, but then he felt Keleia's breathing hitch and her influence vanished, for just a second. He felt it leave his mind and returning as if clinging on. She whimpered.

"You've been awake in that cryopod for three days," Jack muttered. "How much air do you have left in there?" He didn't need to hear the answer. He knew. Even though the Vernae didn't need as much air as humans, even though they needed even less when they merged minds with someone, there couldn't be much air left in her pod.

"Not much."


	20. Chapter 20

**7.**

Owen made a sound of surprise when the upper end of the ladder touched something in the empty air. "Jack's right," he said. "There's the ship." He looked over his shoulder back at Suzie and Tosh, who were laying Jack down on the ground once more to make him more comfortable. He was unconscious again after relaying to them everything about the ship that he'd learned from Keleia. "I'll stay with him. You two get into the ship."

Suzie raised one eyebrow. "That idea doesn't have anything to do with the fact that the air in there could still have toxic traces, right?"

Owen grinned. "Of course not."

Tosh and Suzie put on their rucksacks and gas masks and climbed the ladder. Tosh felt weird, climbing up into thin air. When she reached the top, she felt around for the button Jack had described to her.

"Are we sure that the door is here?" Suzie asked.

"Jack said it would be," Tosh answered. Her fingers brushed against the button and suddenly, she looked inside the ship. She climbed up the rest of the way and waited for Suzie to join her before closing the door. She held up her PDA. "Oxygen levels are ideal," she said and removed the mask. Suzie did the same. They looked around the cramped space. Apparently, they were in the cockpit – a circular room with four seats and an endless number of buttons, levers and consoles on the walls and the ceiling. It looked a bit like its counterpart in an airplane. Two doors led into adjoining rooms. The ship wasn't big. Tosh could understand why it had cryochambers for longer journeys.

"Okay," Suzie took command, "let's look for the leak."

xxx

Owen checked Jack's vital signs. "Well, you seem to be alright … aside from the coma but that's your own bloody fault. Always wanting to be the hero." He looked around and, seeing that the police constables cordoning off the area were far enough away, slid one hand into Jack's coat pocket. "No offense, mate. Just want to settle a bet." He got out Jack's rarely used wallet and rifled through it. He knew that Jack had been in the city a few days ago, shopping. He came back with a plastic bag. Maybe he still had the receipts. He found one for an electronics store and raised his eyebrows. "Seriously, mate? _Chicago_?" He snorted and put the wallet back into Jack's pocket, then he activated his comm link. "Suzie … he's _so_ gay."

Suzie laughed. Tosh answered, _"I saw him pull the waitress from that restaurant down by the bay the other day." _

"_Bi,"_ Suzie concluded. _"I'm right."_

Owen asked, "Did you see them shag, Tosh?"

"_No,"_ she answered.

Something clanged and Suzie cursed, _"It's bloody hard to reach!"_

Owen strolled towards the police constables. "No shag, no evidence." He'd made up a story for the police. A government project concerning a cloaking device gone wrong. They'd believed it – those daft sods would believe everything. There were a few pretty girls in uniform and one or two guys. He wondered if he'd be able to pull one of the girls. Maybe one of them was a newbie and didn't know yet that the police hated Torchwood.

"_What kind of evidence do you have?" _Suzie asked.

"He bought _Chicago_."

Suzie and Tosh giggled.

Owen asked, "What?"

"_Yes, idiot!"_ Suzie answered. _"He bought it for me."_

Owen swallowed in a sudden fit of awkward panic. "Did I forget ..."

"_No,"_ Suzie answered. _"Jack's that kind of a guy. He heard me and Tosh talking about how much I loved it and went out to buy it for me. A true gentleman. Women like small presents every once in a while, you know?"_

Owen grumbled, "Yeah, whatever." He deactivated his comm link. He noticed one of the constables looking at him curiously, a pretty, young brunette. He could pull her … if he weren't that annoyed at his teammates right now. "What?"

"Nothing," she said. "So, what division are you from? MI-5?"

Oh, a newbie! He wasn't in the mood anymore. "None of your business."

"Rude prick!" the constable muttered.

Her colleague hissed a warning, "Gwen!"

"What?" she answered. "I'm not scared of them." She spoke louder. "Waltzing in as if they own the place." The last he heard was her asking, "Who are they anyway?"

xxx

Jack sat huddled on the ground near the swings, leaning back against a tree, facing away from his team to be able to fully concentrate on Keleia. He was holding her cradled against his chest, her weaker breaths a sign of her mind fading away. She was dying. Jack tried to pour all his love into her, but what Keleia really needed was for his team to fix the ship and to reestablish the air-flow within.

Keleia said, "You are sad."

Jack looked down at her. "Yes."

"The feeling's linked with your love for your children."

"I lost them all," Jack answered.

"Why?"

"All kinds of reasons."

"You lost their other parents, too."

Jack nodded. "They ran away or died or … vanished."

"You are scared."

"Yes." He kissed her forehead. "I don't want to lose you, too."

xxx

Tosh found them in a small room. Three cryopods. In two of them, adult Vernae were lying in stasis. The clamps holding the third one had been dislodged, probably due to a short circuit, and it had fallen from its pedestal. Within it, a small Vernae was cowering, barely lucid.

Tosh put her hand against the glass, wishing she could open the door, but knowing that the oxygen levels would kill the little girl for good. She smiled at the Vernae, trying to convey reassurance. Despite the Vernae's eyes being slightly glassy as if in another world, a small hand pressed against the glass on the other side.

From the cockpit, Suzie called, "Okay." Tosh returned hurriedly to her. Suzie was just emerging from the hole she'd made into the ship's inner wall. "I sealed the outer hull and the hole in the pipe. That should do it. We just have to fix the rest later."

Tosh threw Suzie her mask before putting on her own. "We have to hurry. The Vernae girl is dying. She can't survive on Jack's emotions alone. She needs air."

Suzie nodded, put on the mask and sat in the pilot's chair. She used what Jack had told them about the controls and carefully pushed one single button. A humming noise was heard when the life-support system started its work.

Tosh held up her PDA. "Air flow is increasing … we've got … yes!" She grinned and looked at Suzie. "The perfect environment for the Vernae and not a leak in sight."

Suzie gave her the thumbs-up. Together, they hurried to the smaller room with the cryopods. While Suzie had a look at the controls of the small Vernae's pod, Tosh checked her PDA. "The air's alright in here, too. Open it." Suzie nodded and pushed the button. Nothing happened. Tosh frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I have no idea," Suzie answered.

xxx

Keleia's hand touched Jack's cheek and slid away, just like the life in her eyes. Jack's eyes widened. "Keleia?" She didn't answer and when her body disappeared, Jack knew that she was gone. "Damn it!" he screamed. He got up and turned around to his body. Everything seemed to blur, the park started to vanish in the mist, and Jack knew that the world Keleia had recreated for their minds was fading as she died. Jack felt dizzy and stumbled to the ground. Everything went black.

xxx

In the hospital, three people woke from their coma with a deep ragged breath.

xxx

Suzie cursed, hitting the button again and again under Tosh's worried look. "I can't open it!" She grabbed her hammer and started to slam it into the glass of the pod. The small Vernae within stared at them with sad eyes.

Tosh put her hand against the side of the pod, trying to reassure her. "It's going to be alright," she said, even though she knew that the girl couldn't hear her. "We're going to get you out."

"Don't just talk about it," Suzie snapped. "Do something!"

Frantically, Tosh started to push every button she could see.

xxx

Jack awoke with a deep breath, scaring Owen half to death. "What did just happen?" he asked. Jack sat up and looked to where the ladder was leaning against the invisible ship. "Jack," Owen asked, "did they make it?"

xxx

Tosh felt tears of frustration running down her cheeks. The Vernae's eyes were closed now and as far as she could tell, the girl wasn't breathing anymore. "Oh God!" she whispered.

Suzie still tried to break through the glass with the hammer, but it wouldn't give. From the corner of her eye, Tosh saw something move and she raised her head to see the two adult Vernae suddenly standing next to her and Suzie. One of them leaned down and hit a combination of buttons. The pod opened and the little girl took a deep, sighing breath.

Tosh had no time to feel relieved. She crowded closer to Suzie who dropped the hammer. "We were just trying to help," she said.

Tosh watched one of the Vernae pick their daughter up and cradle her close. "We didn't want to harm her," Tosh promised. The Vernae looked at her. "Do you understand?" Tosh asked. "We didn't mean any harm." Suddenly, a wave of relief and happiness swept over her. She heard Suzie sigh happily and practically melt against her back. She took Suzie's hand. "Oh, that's a good sign, right?" she asked.

"I'd say so," Suzie answered softly. "They're projecting what they feel, because that's how they communicate."

Tosh watched the Vernae crowding around their child in their middle. Keleia was clinging to her parents, apparently soaking up every loving emotion they had.

"I don't think I have ever seen anything more beautiful," Suzie said.

"You're just high," Tosh giggled.

In that moment, Jack and Owen burst into the room, wearing gas masks as well. They stopped at the scene before them. Jack chuckled. "Oh, you got her back, then."

Suzie asked, "When did you wake up?"

"When Keleia's ability to hold up the connection to me failed. I think the other coma patients have woken up, too. Keleia must have been unable to let go of them after she realized that their brains can't take her attempts to communicate. She's only a child. What she did was way out of her league. When did the parents get out?"

Suzie shrugged. "I guess the restored airflow deactivated the pods."

Tosh laughed. "Do you feel that?"

Jack nodded and Owen asked, "If you mean the feeling of having had the best sex of my life, then yes."

Suzie looked at Jack, "I thought our brains are unable to take that kind of communication, yet."

Jack answered, "Well, this projection isn't addressed at someone specific. They are sharing their feelings with everyone and that, you can already pick up on." All of them turned to watch the small family reunion. Jack sighed. "As an old friend of mine once said: Just this once, everybody lives."

xxx

Owen administered Retcon to ensure that the coma patients didn't remember what they saw while being in Keleia's mind – it wouldn't do for them all to remember the same thing. In the meantime, Jack, Suzie and Tosh helped out with the repairs to the ship. Luckily, Torchwood had some of the parts the Vernae needed to repair their engines and what they didn't have, they improvised.

They worked through the night, until Jack decided in the early morning that Suzie and Tosh could handle the remaining repairs by themselves. He left the SUV with them and walked to the hospital, thinking that he could try and charm his way into Ianto's room before visiting hours started. The air was cold and fresh, just as he liked it. He took a detour to the bay to watch the sunrise and then walked on.

When he passed by _Jubilee Pizza_, he stopped abruptly. On the doorstep, a blonde girl was sitting and in her arms, she held a purring cat – a ratty, ugly little thing with bright green eyes. Jack laughed. The girl looked up at him, a bit startled.

"The cat," Jack said. "I thought I'd never see her again."

"Oh," the girl answered. "Is it your cat?" Yvonne purred a bit louder, looking at Jack with narrowed eyes, and the girl patted her head.

"No," Jack answered, "not exactly."

"Well, she turned up here a week or so ago, skinny and half-dead. We took her in, so to say. She lives in the manager's office."

"What's her name?" Jack asked.

The girl rolled her eyes. "The boys thought it would be a bit of a joke to name her Annie, because that's my name, you know, and I found her."

"Annie," Jack said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jack."

Annie smiled, then she got up. "Well, I have to make some coffee for the breakfast crowd now."

Jack nodded. "Take care," he said and walked on.

"Hey!" she called after him and he turned around. "What name did you give her?" Annie asked.

"Yvonne," Jack answered. "It's kind of a joke as well." They smiled at each other, then Annie entered the restaurant. Jack chuckled. "Well, at least Myfanwy didn't eat her."

xxx

When Ianto opened his eyes, Jack was sitting on the edge of his bed, eating Ianto's pudding. "Hey!" he said. "I see they have you on solid food."

"Can't keep it down, though. So please ... help yourself," Ianto answered and coughed.

Jack cupped his cheek. "You still have a fever."

"It's also getting harder to breathe."

"I know what pneumonia feels like. Been there, done that," Jack answered, "but you'll be fine. Just listen to the doctors and you'll be up and about in no time."

"Hopefully," Ianto answered. He thought he'd given Lisa enough IVs and painkillers to last for a few weeks. It was up to Lisa now. She had to manage her medication on her own. She'd gained a bit of strength since the battle, so the chances that she would manage were good.

"I honestly don't know what we'll do without your fantastic coffee."

Ianto felt a stab of hurt at those words. It settled just underneath his ribcage. He fought it down valiantly. It didn't matter that he was just the tea boy to them. Really, it didn't. Because Lisa would be fine soon and they'd run away and start a new life somewhere else.

Jack said, "I'll miss your company." The way he said it, the way he put a hand on Ianto's and squeezed gently, made it obvious what kind of company he would miss.

Ianto swallowed a cough. "Yes, sir."

"But I was thinking," Jack said. "We should do something when you get back. Something special."

Ianto had no idea what to think about that. Special like … a date? In that case, he wouldn't be able to do this any longer. He would tell Jack exactly that. That it was too soon, that he still missed Lisa, that he couldn't in good conscience …

"Did you ever have sex in a car?" Jack asked.

Right. Ianto hid a sigh that he would swear wasn't an expression of disappointment. "No."

"We need to rectify that," Jack told him with a sly grin.

"Definitely," Ianto answered, "but if you don't mind now, sir, I'd like to sleep a little."

Jack nodded. "Of course." He smiled and kissed Ianto's forehead, then he left the room.

Ianto looked after him and stared at the door for a few minutes. "I don't know what to do," he said softly and closed his eyes. "I don't know what to do."


	21. Chapter 21

**8.**

Suzie beamed at Jack. "Really?"

He nodded gravely. "Don't get too excited. We're dealing with a serial killer here. I approve the use of the gauntlet on the victims … we could ask them who it was and tell the police."

Suzie forced herself not to react too strongly. For the last month, ever since the Vernae had left through the Rift, she'd tried to get Jack to approve the first experiments on dead people and when he thought that stopping that killing spree was good enough reason, Suzie didn't mind at all. It was she who provided herself with that opportunity after all. Three men had died for her. She would kill a fourth tonight, a man who would finally be a subject for the glove. He wouldn't be able to identify her, though. She would stay away from the line of sight of the dead and let Jack ask the questions. That way, she would be able to practice and maybe … maybe she would be able to keep people alive for longer than a few seconds. Maybe even, with enough practice, forever. What were a few lives in comparison to that?

She let some curiosity show. "But you always say that you don't like the police. Why do them any favors?"

"I don't like them when they get in my way. And I think it would be good if they owed us a favor."

Suzie nodded. "Right."

The alarms sounded and Suzie looked towards the entrance, as did Jack. When a suit-clad figure entered slowly and a bit hesitantly, Suzie looked back at Jack. He was smiling. "Is he supposed to be back at work?"

"Only the mornings." Jack got up from his chair. "Only paperwork and the tourist office." He grinned. "And coffee."

Suzie smiled. "You can tell me, Jack, I won't tell Owen: Did you shag him?" Jack just smiled. Suzie raised her eyebrows. "That's a yes." Jack pouted and shoved his hands in his pockets. Suzie frowned. "That's a no." He went past her and opened the door to his office. He winked at her, then set off towards Ianto. Suzie called after him, "But you would like to!"

He turned back around to her to say, "Who wouldn't like to?"

Suzie laughed.

xxx

Ianto opened the door to Lisa's room. "Hi!" he said with a tender smile.

Lisa gifted him with a smile in return, but it seemed a little strained. "How was work?"

Ianto checked her IV. He'd been back at work for a week now. As soon as he'd been able to leave the hospital, almost four weeks ago, he'd checked on Lisa. He had been supposed to rest at home and aside from visits to Lisa via the entrance through the garage, he did. He was determined not to risk his health that way again. He had to be there for Lisa. She needed him. She'd barely survived the weeks he'd been gone while he'd been in hospital and he had the distinct feeling that she still hadn't quite forgiven him yet for leaving her alone for that long. Something was different about her, she was so cold and demanding sometimes. Maybe the pain and strain were finally really getting to her.

He smiled. "It was okay. I'm off home now."

"Won't you stay?" Lisa asked.

"I'll come back tomorrow." He kissed her forehead. "I can't sleep down here at the moment. Not until Owen gives me the all-clear. I can't risk a set-back."

Lisa looked away. "Of course."

Ianto could tell that she was hurt. He bit his lip and took her hand. "I made contact with Dr. Tanizaki, though." That got him her interest. He smiled. "I'm being careful about what I tell him until I'm sure that he can help you."

"How long?"

"A few more weeks."

"He's our only hope," Lisa said, "so don't make a mistake."

"Of course."

"It's pretty late. What were you doing, working this long?"

Ianto froze.

_Jack kissed Ianto deeply and pulled him closer. Ianto lay back on Jack's camp bed and gasped when Jack's mouth found his nipple. His legs wrapped around Jack's waist. He was so used to this now; they'd slept together quite regularly since Ianto had left the hospital – at first in his flat, but since he had returned to work, here in Jack's quarters –, and he enjoyed it way more than he should. His conscience told him that he could stop anytime, but he knew that he wouldn't. _

_Jack caught his lips again, pecking them repeatedly while he ground his groin against Ianto's. Then he paused and looked into Ianto's eyes, one hand cupping his cheek._

"_What is it?" Ianto asked. It felt strange, being the center of Jack's attention, but also wonderful and different from his everyday life where he was barely noticed by the team, barely heard a nice word from Lisa anymore, barely held on to his sanity. _

_Jack smiled and shook his head. "Nothing." His hand slid down Ianto's chest and curled around his thigh, hitching his leg up higher around Jack's waist, the hand sliding towards …_

"_Wait," Ianto said. Jack paused. Ianto closed his eyes and turned his head aside. Jack planted a patient kiss on his cheek. Every time they met up after work, Jack tried to be the one on top, but Ianto refused him. It was too intimate, too much to handle. He'd given Jack pretty much everything he had already. He had to keep something back or the betrayal of Lisa would be complete. Even though Ianto's feelings had changed, even though he felt comfortable in Jack's arms by now … too comfortable. It was becoming something more than just a means of distraction, the gaining of Jacks trust or even a few hours of escape from the harsh reality. And he shouldn't allow it to continue and grow further, deeper. _

_He looked at Jack. "Don't."_

_Jack's eyes showed disappointment, but he nodded. _

_Ianto turned them around, pinning Jack to the bed. "Let me take care of you instead," he whispered._

"Ianto!" Lisa said.

Ianto was startled from his thoughts. "What?"

"Did you work with Harkness?"

"Yes," he answered. "Paperwork. Tons of it." He smiled fleetingly.

Lisa looked at him. Then she took his hand. "I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," Ianto answered.

"And I'm sorry."

Ianto looked at her, surprised. "You're sorry? What for?"

"Being such a mess," Lisa answered and bit her lip.

Ianto saw tears in her eyes and shook his head. He caressed her cheek. "You're not a mess."

"Look at me," Lisa said.

Ianto kissed her lips. "You're beautiful," he whispered. "I don't see anything wrong with you."

"But my body-"

"It's just temporary." He smiled reassuringly. "Everything here is just temporary."

She met his eyes, staring as if looking for something. "Everything?"

Ianto swallowed, suspecting something behind that question. He kissed her again, letting it linger. "Yes," he answered. "Everything."

xxx

A few weeks later, the water was turning red from the blood Suzie washed from her hands. Then she took the knife out of the towel she'd used to carry it and ran it under the water as well. The blood caked on it slowly came away. Suzie dried it and wrapped it up in the towel again to put in her bag. Her mobile rang. Suzie answered the call and stepped to her living room window, staring out into the very rainy Cardiff night.

It was Jack. _"The killer has done it again."_

"Another victim?" Suzie asked and smiled. "How horrible!"

"_Ianto has the police cordoning off the area and waiting for us to arrive. I'll pick up Tosh and Owen and then come by your flat. Be ready in ten."_ He rang off and Suzie snapped her mobile shut. Finally another experiment. It had taken a while for her to find this victim, a young man in his twenties.

Half an hour later, she didn't pay attention to the dark-haired, young PC who watched Torchwood walk by her and her colleagues. She didn't mean anything, none of them did. The only thing that was important was that she would finally get to use the glove again.

END

09/11

Sequels (already in this archive):

The Enemy Within

This Crying Earth

The Golden Boy


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